Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Blasts Efforts by Texas to Restrict Voter Access

Statement

Voting is the most fundamental aspect to our healthy and free democracy. Measures that make it harder for eligible voters to exercise their federally protected right to vote are an affront to the United States Constitution. In the last 12 months, Texas has accelerated its efforts to suppress the vote. These new efforts represent a coordinated effort clearly designed to suppress the vote of those people who most need to make sure that their government is paying attention to their needs, not the just needs of those with greater resources and access.

Throughout its history, our country has tried to remove obstacles to voter participation, making the right to vote accessible to all eligible citizens. These regressive laws run counter to that spirit. Texas must focus on this issue and confront the efforts that are being made to undermine the right to vote and to suppress registered voters from casting their ballot legally and effectively. For example, Texas has recently considered the following voter suppression measures:

1. Voter Identification

Restrictive Voter-ID laws are an unnecessary and damaging means of attempting to prevent alleged voter fraud. Complex and expensive for states to implement, the supposed goal of voter ID laws is to remedy a non-existent problem. As part of the Help America Vote Act, new voters already produce an ID when registering to vote. Despite the hype, there has been absolutely no documentation of wide-spread in-person voter fraud, and these laws do nothing to address other types of election fraud. Voter ID laws are a solution in search of a problem.

At their worst, restrictive Voter ID laws have damaging consequences. Laws that require state-issued photo ID cards in order to vote could exclude nearly 11% of our citizenry. Further, these laws have been shown to disproportionately affect low-income, minority, young, and older communities. As such, civil and voting rights organizations almost universally oppose these restrictive measures. Voter ID laws significantly restrict access to the ballot-box.

2. Documentary Proof Of Citizenship To Register Or Vote

In conflict with our nation's history of allowing citizens to vote without presenting proof of citizenship, Texas has enacted a potentially disenfranchising bill requiring prospective voters to present documentary proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Without such documentation, election officials are allowed to reject voter registration applications that are not accompanied by one of several specified citizenship documents, some of which are expensive to obtain, thus denying those individuals the ability to vote.

3. Making Voter Registration Harder -- Voter Registration Drive Regulations

Instead of trying to increase voter registration in Texas, new registration requirements have been instated that will make it more challenging for eligible citizens to ensure that they are registered to vote on Election Day.

Voter Registration Drives increase voter registration rates, especially among minority, low-income, and younger citizens. However, Texas has pushed legislation to regulate and restrict community-based voter registration drives. These bills require citizen registration groups to register with the state before undertaking a voter registration drive as well as other burdensome and unnecessary training, disclosure, and reporting requirements. Adding insult to injury, Texas will enforce civil or criminal penalties upon these civic groups for any violation of these burdensome rules. These regulations have serious Constitutional consequences, possibly infringing upon a citizens' ability to form political associations and conduct voter registration drives.

I intend to continue working with my constituents and groups that are committed to ensuring the Constitutional rights of Americans. I will work with the administration, local nonpartisan groups, civil rights groups, human rights groups, voter education projects, and with the minority communities to ensure that in the coming months and years, that every citizen not only has the right to vote, but will be encouraged to vote and will be facilitated in making sure they can cast their ballot.

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