Hi, folks! I’m Alexa Ura, a reporter at The Texas Tribune. I cover demographics and voting rights, and I’ll be closely following the special legislative session of the Texas Legislature that begins July 8.
One of the main items for this special is expected to be the GOP’s priority elections bill, which aligned with other efforts in Republican-led states this year to restrict voting options. You probably heard that Texas House Democrats killed Senate Bill 7 by walking out and breaking quorum during the final hours of the regular legislative session. For Democrats of color, the walkout was rooted in the long fight for equal voting rights in the state.
The demise of SB 7, a massive bill that would further ratchet up the state’s already restrictive voting rules, was a temporary win. And the possibility remains that Republicans angry over the demise of the bill might try to push for even more stringent restrictions in the special session.
So, what exactly was in Senate Bill 7? The bill changed a lot throughout the regular session, but the final version — which saw drastic last-minute changes behind closed doors — would have limited early voting hours, curtailed local voting options and further tightened voting by mail.
One provision of the final version that would have limited early voting hours on Sundays was criticized for its potential impact on Black churchgoers who participate in “souls to the polls” efforts after morning services. Republicans have since walked that provision back.
What questions do you have about what might happen with this legislation, the voting rights landscape in Texas and the political context of these efforts to limit voting options? Ask me anything on July 7 from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET (10 a.m. - 11 a.m. CT).
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