Myth vs. Fact: Misinformation on Texas’ Voting Laws

Blog Articles · Apr 15, 2021 · Election Integrity

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Myth vs. Fact: Misinformation on Texas’s Voting Laws

Despite the misinformation from Democrats, the truth is that Texas is taking action to make it easy to vote but hard to cheat so that all Texans can have confidence in their elections.

MYTH: Texas’s election safeguards restrict voting access.

FACT: Texas’s reforms create a more secure and more uniform voting process that Texans’ can have confidence in, while maintaining access for all voters.

  • Texas’s reforms will help ensure the election code is evenly, uniformly, and consistently applied across
    the state so Texas voters can have confidence in their system.

  • Election safeguards like voter ID enjoy widespread support in Texas, with an overwhelming 81% of
    Texans supporting voter ID requirements according to a 2019 poll.

MYTH: Texas is trying to suppress the vote by limiting mail-in and early voting.

FACT: Texas has more early voting than many blue states across the country, providing copious access to voters.

  • The safeguards on mail-in voting is in line with the views of Texas voters, 58% of whom are concerned an
    increase in mail-in voting could increase fraud.

  • Texas provides two weeks of in-person early voting for primary elections, special elections, and general
    elections.

  • Many blue states, like New York and New Jersey which each have 9 early voting days, have far fewer
    days of early voting.

  • Texas’s proposed reforms would actually create an online tool so these voters can track both their
    application to vote by mail and then their ballot, offering a simple and efficient process for voters.

MYTH: Texas wants to limit early voting hours to suppress the vote

FACT: Texas has more early voting than many blue states across the country, providing lots of access to voters.

  • Proposed reforms would set reliable hours that will benefit election administration and voters.

  • If passed, Texas would have longer early voting hours than codified in states like Maryland and New
    Mexico.

MYTH: Poll watchers will intimidate voters and election officials.

FACT: Poll watchers simply observe to protect our elections. They cannot even talk to voters.

  • Texas law is clear that poll watchers are to observe, not talk to voters and only talk to the clerk or judge
    if there is a concern.

  • The proposed reforms promote transparency in elections and strengthens the rights of poll watchers to
    observe the process, while not interfering with voters in any way.

  • There are verified cases of poll watchers being illegally removed or obstructed from observing the
    process during the 2020 election.

  • All sides can agree that transparency is necessary to have trust that our elections are free and fair. Poll
    watchers play an important role in instilling confidence in the electoral process.

MYTH: Texas’s proposed reforms would unfairly target election clerks and judges.

FACT: The legislation targets only those who intentionally commit or seek to commit fraud.

  • Texas’s proposed reforms includes important oversight to ensure elections are administered properly
    and the law is enforced, something everyone can support.

  • Those who intentionally commit or seek to violate the law will be held accountable, but an honest
    mistake is not going to land a clerk in jail or give them a hefty fine.

MYTH: Texas’s reforms will make it harder for disabled voters to vote.

FACT: Texas’s proposed reforms protect disabled voters and will ensure they continue to have easy voting access.

  • Despite the rhetoric from Democrats, disabled voters would maintain secure and easy voting access
    under Texas’s reforms.

  • The proposed reforms would continue to provide numerous voting options for everyone, including a
    simple mail-in voting process and extensive early voting.

MYTH: The Texas reforms would restrict voters’ rights by repealing drive thru and outdoor voting.

FACT: These voting procedures never existed prior to 2020 and were used temporarily in response to COVID-19.

  • These measures were implemented temporarily and not done across the state.

  • Now with more knowledge about COVID and vaccination being available to every adult in Texas, voters
    can be confident in their ability to vote safely in person, the most secure way to cast a ballot.