Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Election Integrity Bill
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed the state’s contentious election overhaul bill backed by state Republicans after months-long battle with Democrats who strongly oppose the measure.
NEW: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs sweeping GOP legislation into law, tightening the state’s voting rules after months of protests by Democrats. https://t.co/lC4bShhzsM pic.twitter.com/uDtXCBsGGT
— ABC News (@ABC) September 7, 2021
Abbott reportedly traveled to Tyler, Texas to sign SB 1 on Tuesday, a sweeping voting integrity bill meant to tighten voting laws in the state.
@GregAbbott_TX is coming to Tyler tomorrow to sign SB1 also known as the election integrity bill. I’m planning on being there tomorrow to cover the signing. Gov. Abbott will be joined by Sen. Hughes and Representative Murr @kytxcbs19
— Matt Lackritz (@MattLackritz) September 6, 2021
Among others, the proposal will set new rules for mail-in voting, increasing the number of partisan poll watchers and giving the state more control of the local voting process.
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The signing of the measure comes after a long tug-of-war with state Democrats who fiercely oppose the bill. In a desperate move to block the passage of the proposal earlier, some Democratic lawmakers even fled the state to deny Republicans of the quorum needed to push the proposal.
But last week, the impasse ended after the Texas House of Representatives passed the measure in an 80-41 vote. The Texas Senate also approved the bill in a 19-13 vote — the result almost completely along party lines.
🚨BREAKING: Texas Gov. Abbott will sign the voter suppression bill tomorrow at Noon ET. Expect litigation to be filed immediately thereafter.
Follow @DemocracyDocket for alerts and details. pic.twitter.com/X4OJrAKgNA
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) September 6, 2021
The GOP governor has long signaled his intent to sign the legislation once passed by the state legislature.
“Senate Bill 1 will solidify trust and confidence in the outcome of our elections by making it easier to vote and harder to cheat. I look forward to signing Senate Bill 1 into law, ensuring election integrity in Texas,” Abbott said in a statement.
Republicans and Democrats have been divided over the push for election overhaul measures. The GOP argues that the proposals would raise election integrity and provide greater security during the election process, while Democrats say it would suppress voter turnout — and impact minorities due to additional checks needed to be able to vote.
“I worry that this bill is going to take our state down a very dangerous slippery slope. And I think that this narrative is dangerous, this narrative that there’s widespread fraud with no evidence. I think it’s damaging to our democracy,” Democratic state Sen. Cesar Blanco commented.
It happened:
TYLER, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs sweeping GOP elections bill, furthering tightening state's strict voting laws.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 7, 2021
Nonetheless, Texas GOP backers said the measure is meant to put a stop to voter fraud in the state and boost confidence in the integrity of the election process.
“How much fraud is OK? None. How much suppression is okay? None,” GOP state Sen. Bryan Hughes said of the measure. “That’s why Senate Bill 1 makes it easy to vote and hard to cheat.”
