Texas GOP voting bill advances to House floor

Erin Doherty
·1 min read

A Texas House committee voted early Sunday morning to advance to the floor a GOP-backed voting bill in the Texas Legislature that includes extensive new voting restrictions, the Texas Tribune reports.

Catch up quick: The vote came after an overnight hearing beginning Saturday during which nearly 3oo members of the public signed up to testify on the legislation, according to the Texas Tribune.

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  • Committees in both chambers of the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature "approved the bills and sent them to the full chambers" on Saturday night after hours of debate in hearings in both the Senate and House, per the Tribune.

State of play: State Republicans in the House and Senate introduced bills that would ban drive-through and 24-hour voting options and enhance access for partisan poll watchers, among other provisions.

  • The special session — convened by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) — comes weeks after Texas Democrats staged a walkout to block the voting bill from passing.

What's next: Following the Texas Senate's public hearing on the bill on Saturday, a panel of state senators is meant to vote later Sunday to advance the legislation, per the Texas Tribune.

  • The bill is due to be voted on by the full chamber next week.

The big picture: The GOP push for restrictive voting laws in Texas comes as several other states, such as Georgia and Florida, have already enacted similar legislation.

Go deeper: Texas legislature convenes for special session on voting rights

Editor's note: This article has been updated with details of the committees advancing the legislation and to note when the full chamber is due to vote on the measure.

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