Gern Blansten said:

The Juggler said:

oftenreading said:

JB16057 said:

mrussel1 said:

JB16057 said:

The Juggler said:

RunIntoTheRain said:

Texas mail in voting qualifications are very restrictive

To be eligible to vote early by mail in Texas, you must:

• be 65 years or older;
• be sick or disabled;
• be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance;
• be expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day; or
• be confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.

Jesus. I had to double check to see if true and it is: https://www.sos.texas.gov/elections/voter/reqabbm.shtml

This is a disgrace. We made so much progress in 2020 only to see so many Republican led states take us backwards...

That sucks that people have to make an effort to vote!

Why should A right that is granted to every citizen need to be difficult to exercise?  Why isn’t the goal to remove barriers?

We need barriers to ensure a fair election.

What sort of barriers ensure a fair election? Generally barriers to voting simply ensure that people who have the means to get over those barriers are able to vote and those that don’t, aren’t. Like almost everything else in our society, putting up more barriers just favours those of middle or higher socioeconomic class. 

Earlier yesterday someone admitted that it was great that so many more people were able to vote in 2020 and that progress was being made (the same election that members of Trump's admin called the most secure in our nation's history).

Later that same day, here he is hailing efforts to curb that exact same progress. 

Make less sense next time. I dare you. 

yeah he had to change his tune once we pointed out that the new legislation could reverse the progress...GOP doesn't want progress

gimmesometruth27 said:

looks like it worked. 

all of us, no matter the party, should be concerned about the impediments being put in place to voting. the 15th amendment is being threatened in several ways. partisan jerrymandering, fewer machines in poor areas that typically vote democrat, disallowing early voting in some states, etc.

republicans know that they cannot win on their ideas and their platform. they know that if more people vote, they are less likely to win an election. how can they tilt the odds in their favor? either try to make biden so toxic democrats will not turn out to vote, OR make it more and more difficult for people to vote.

those that support these new laws, should be ashamed of themselves. it is a solution in search of a problem, and it is absolutely cheating.

mrussel1 said:

Vermont gov (R) pushes for full mail in voting.  Republican wants more participation in democracy?  What a RINO!

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/590161-vermonts-republican-governor-backs-all-mail-elections

The Juggler said:

Goodness Gracious! The Republican's plan appears to already be working perfectly....thus shocking nobody who is actually paying attention. 


https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-01-18/texas-rejects-hundreds-of-mail-ballot-applications-under-new-voting-limits

Texas Rejects Hundreds of Mail Ballot Applications Under New Voting Limits

By Reuters

|

as Rejects Hundreds of Mail Ballot Applications Under New Voting Limits

More

Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir speaks to the media after Travis County election officials said that due to Texas' new voting law SB1, half of vote-by-mail applications for March primaries had been rejected, in Austin, Texas, U.S. January 18, 2022. REUTERS/Sergio FloresREUTERS

By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) - Texas election officials have rejected hundreds of mail-in ballot applications, abiding by a new Republican-backed law just weeks before a March 1 primary kicks off this year's U.S. election cycle.

"My friends, this is what voter suppression looks like," Democrat Dana DeBeauvoir, the Travis County clerk, told reporters on Tuesday.

The county, home to the state capital Austin, invalidated approximately 300 applications because people failed to meet the law's stricter identification requirements, said DeBeauvoir, who retires at month's end.

Lawmakers in Texas approved a raft of voting restrictions last year, one of many efforts in Republican-controlled states to pass new limits after former President Donald Trump falsely claimed he lost the 2020 election because of widespread fraud.

Democrats in Congress this week renewed their push to pass sweeping voting rights legislation https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-democrats-start-voting-rights-showdown-with-no-clear-path-victory-2022-01-18 that would overturn limits such as the Texas law, but the effort appears doomed in the face of united Republican opposition.

The Texas bill prompted some Democratic legislators to flee the state for weeks to prevent the state House of Representatives from having the quorum necessary to pass it, though they eventually relented.

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who signed the bill in September and is seeking re-election this year, has said the law, known as Senate Bill 1, will increase public trust in elections.

The U.S. Justice Department has sued Texas over the legislation, saying it disenfranchises voters. Democrats say such restrictions discriminate against Black voters and other minorities who traditionally support Democratic candidates.

Among other provisions, the law requires voters applying for a mail ballot to provide either a driver's license or Social Security number, which must match the number they gave when first registering to vote.

That leaves some voters playing a "guessing game," DeBeauvoir said, because many people cannot recall which number they provided originally and there is no easy way for voters to check.

Harris County, which includes Houston, had rejected 409 out of 1,373 applications as of last Friday for ID problems, including 309 missing ID numbers and 173 with numbers that did not match those on file, according to Leah Shah, a spokesperson for the county elections office.

In Bexar County, home to San Antonio, officials had processed more than 300 rejections through last week out of some 1,200 applications, elections administrator Jacquelyn Callanen said in a phone interview. Around 80% of those were due to the new ID requirements.

Other provisions in the law are also creating obstacles, she said. The office previously added a sticker with voters' addresses to applications that were mailed out to save them a step, but that is no longer permitted, Callanen said.

The law also prohibits residents from obtaining applications for other people, including relatives. Callanen said her office regularly receives messages from senior citizens asking for ballots for themselves and their spouses; under the law, spouses must make their own separate requests.

"It's sort of thwarting us at every turn," she said.

Mail ballots in Texas are already sharply limited to a handful of categories, including residents 65 years and older, disabled residents or voters who will be absent from their county during early voting and Election Day.

DeBeauvoir said Secretary of State John Scott's office had failed to give local officials enough guidance on how to help voters cure any defects.

In response, Sam Taylor, a spokesperson for Scott's office, said state officials reached out to Travis County last week to advise staff on the proper process and noted that the county's own estimated rejection rate went down from 50% to 27% following that guidance.

He said clerks have been instructed to accept applications in which voters have included both their license and Social Security number, as long as one of them matches what is on file.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Howard Goller)

Halifax2TheMax said:

The Juggler said:

Goodness Gracious! The Republican's plan appears to already be working perfectly....thus shocking nobody who is actually paying attention. 


https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-01-18/texas-rejects-hundreds-of-mail-ballot-applications-under-new-voting-limits

Texas Rejects Hundreds of Mail Ballot Applications Under New Voting Limits

By Reuters

|

as Rejects Hundreds of Mail Ballot Applications Under New Voting Limits

More

Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir speaks to the media after Travis County election officials said that due to Texas' new voting law SB1, half of vote-by-mail applications for March primaries had been rejected, in Austin, Texas, U.S. January 18, 2022. REUTERS/Sergio FloresREUTERS

By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) - Texas election officials have rejected hundreds of mail-in ballot applications, abiding by a new Republican-backed law just weeks before a March 1 primary kicks off this year's U.S. election cycle.

"My friends, this is what voter suppression looks like," Democrat Dana DeBeauvoir, the Travis County clerk, told reporters on Tuesday.

The county, home to the state capital Austin, invalidated approximately 300 applications because people failed to meet the law's stricter identification requirements, said DeBeauvoir, who retires at month's end.

Lawmakers in Texas approved a raft of voting restrictions last year, one of many efforts in Republican-controlled states to pass new limits after former President Donald Trump falsely claimed he lost the 2020 election because of widespread fraud.

Democrats in Congress this week renewed their push to pass sweeping voting rights legislation https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-democrats-start-voting-rights-showdown-with-no-clear-path-victory-2022-01-18 that would overturn limits such as the Texas law, but the effort appears doomed in the face of united Republican opposition.

The Texas bill prompted some Democratic legislators to flee the state for weeks to prevent the state House of Representatives from having the quorum necessary to pass it, though they eventually relented.

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who signed the bill in September and is seeking re-election this year, has said the law, known as Senate Bill 1, will increase public trust in elections.

The U.S. Justice Department has sued Texas over the legislation, saying it disenfranchises voters. Democrats say such restrictions discriminate against Black voters and other minorities who traditionally support Democratic candidates.

Among other provisions, the law requires voters applying for a mail ballot to provide either a driver's license or Social Security number, which must match the number they gave when first registering to vote.

That leaves some voters playing a "guessing game," DeBeauvoir said, because many people cannot recall which number they provided originally and there is no easy way for voters to check.

Harris County, which includes Houston, had rejected 409 out of 1,373 applications as of last Friday for ID problems, including 309 missing ID numbers and 173 with numbers that did not match those on file, according to Leah Shah, a spokesperson for the county elections office.

In Bexar County, home to San Antonio, officials had processed more than 300 rejections through last week out of some 1,200 applications, elections administrator Jacquelyn Callanen said in a phone interview. Around 80% of those were due to the new ID requirements.

Other provisions in the law are also creating obstacles, she said. The office previously added a sticker with voters' addresses to applications that were mailed out to save them a step, but that is no longer permitted, Callanen said.

The law also prohibits residents from obtaining applications for other people, including relatives. Callanen said her office regularly receives messages from senior citizens asking for ballots for themselves and their spouses; under the law, spouses must make their own separate requests.

"It's sort of thwarting us at every turn," she said.

Mail ballots in Texas are already sharply limited to a handful of categories, including residents 65 years and older, disabled residents or voters who will be absent from their county during early voting and Election Day.

DeBeauvoir said Secretary of State John Scott's office had failed to give local officials enough guidance on how to help voters cure any defects.

In response, Sam Taylor, a spokesperson for Scott's office, said state officials reached out to Travis County last week to advise staff on the proper process and noted that the county's own estimated rejection rate went down from 50% to 27% following that guidance.

He said clerks have been instructed to accept applications in which voters have included both their license and Social Security number, as long as one of them matches what is on file.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Howard Goller)

Or, some folks approve of disenfranchisement. How many drop off ballot boxes are left in the largest county that includes Houston after passage of SB1? How many were available prior? And we all know who lives in Houston, right?

The Juggler said:

JB16057 said:

The Juggler said:

Goodness Gracious! The Republican's plan appears to already be working perfectly....thus shocking nobody who is actually paying attention. 


https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-01-18/texas-rejects-hundreds-of-mail-ballot-applications-under-new-voting-limits

Texas Rejects Hundreds of Mail Ballot Applications Under New Voting Limits

By Reuters

|

as Rejects Hundreds of Mail Ballot Applications Under New Voting Limits

More

Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir speaks to the media after Travis County election officials said that due to Texas' new voting law SB1, half of vote-by-mail applications for March primaries had been rejected, in Austin, Texas, U.S. January 18, 2022. REUTERS/Sergio FloresREUTERS

By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) - Texas election officials have rejected hundreds of mail-in ballot applications, abiding by a new Republican-backed law just weeks before a March 1 primary kicks off this year's U.S. election cycle.

"My friends, this is what voter suppression looks like," Democrat Dana DeBeauvoir, the Travis County clerk, told reporters on Tuesday.

The county, home to the state capital Austin, invalidated approximately 300 applications because people failed to meet the law's stricter identification requirements, said DeBeauvoir, who retires at month's end.

Lawmakers in Texas approved a raft of voting restrictions last year, one of many efforts in Republican-controlled states to pass new limits after former President Donald Trump falsely claimed he lost the 2020 election because of widespread fraud.

Democrats in Congress this week renewed their push to pass sweeping voting rights legislation https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-democrats-start-voting-rights-showdown-with-no-clear-path-victory-2022-01-18 that would overturn limits such as the Texas law, but the effort appears doomed in the face of united Republican opposition.

The Texas bill prompted some Democratic legislators to flee the state for weeks to prevent the state House of Representatives from having the quorum necessary to pass it, though they eventually relented.

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who signed the bill in September and is seeking re-election this year, has said the law, known as Senate Bill 1, will increase public trust in elections.

The U.S. Justice Department has sued Texas over the legislation, saying it disenfranchises voters. Democrats say such restrictions discriminate against Black voters and other minorities who traditionally support Democratic candidates.

Among other provisions, the law requires voters applying for a mail ballot to provide either a driver's license or Social Security number, which must match the number they gave when first registering to vote.

That leaves some voters playing a "guessing game," DeBeauvoir said, because many people cannot recall which number they provided originally and there is no easy way for voters to check.

Harris County, which includes Houston, had rejected 409 out of 1,373 applications as of last Friday for ID problems, including 309 missing ID numbers and 173 with numbers that did not match those on file, according to Leah Shah, a spokesperson for the county elections office.

In Bexar County, home to San Antonio, officials had processed more than 300 rejections through last week out of some 1,200 applications, elections administrator Jacquelyn Callanen said in a phone interview. Around 80% of those were due to the new ID requirements.

Other provisions in the law are also creating obstacles, she said. The office previously added a sticker with voters' addresses to applications that were mailed out to save them a step, but that is no longer permitted, Callanen said.

The law also prohibits residents from obtaining applications for other people, including relatives. Callanen said her office regularly receives messages from senior citizens asking for ballots for themselves and their spouses; under the law, spouses must make their own separate requests.

"It's sort of thwarting us at every turn," she said.

Mail ballots in Texas are already sharply limited to a handful of categories, including residents 65 years and older, disabled residents or voters who will be absent from their county during early voting and Election Day.

DeBeauvoir said Secretary of State John Scott's office had failed to give local officials enough guidance on how to help voters cure any defects.

In response, Sam Taylor, a spokesperson for Scott's office, said state officials reached out to Travis County last week to advise staff on the proper process and noted that the county's own estimated rejection rate went down from 50% to 27% following that guidance.

He said clerks have been instructed to accept applications in which voters have included both their license and Social Security number, as long as one of them matches what is on file.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Howard Goller)

"Under Texas’ new voting law, absentee voters must include their driver’s license number or state ID number or, if they don’t have one, the last four digits of their Social Security number on their applications. If they don’t have those IDs, voters can indicate they have not been issued that identification. Counties must match those numbers against the information in an individual’s voter file to approve them for a mail-in ballot."

What is the issue with making sure someone is who they say they are?

Why add additional barriers to solve an imaginary problem? Healthy democracies do not purposefully put barriers in place to make it more difficult for people to vote. 

The answer to your question lies in the very same article you are replying to, but I am assuming did not read. 

Among other provisions, the law requires voters applying for a mail ballot to provide either a driver's license or Social Security number, which must match the number they gave when first registering to vote.

That leaves some voters playing a "guessing game," DeBeauvoir said, because many people cannot recall which number they provided originally and there is no easy way for voters to check.