Restrictive voting bill passes in Texas

The Texas Senate has signed stricter voting pratices into law, despite Democrats breaking quorum to block it. SB1 is aimed at blocking voting practices used in Houston's Democratic Harris County in the 2020 presidential election. By signing it into law, Gov. Greg Abbott has joined leaders of conservative states that enacted laws in response to Democrat Pres. Joe Biden,scortching win over Republican Donald Trump. The decision includes a ban on drive-thru voting and 24-hour voting, permitting partisan poll watchers, and eliminates unsolicited ballots by mail.

A ban of Democrats skipped several Senate sessions to prevent a vote on the action and took their fight all the way to the U.S. Capitol during the pandemic, sacrificing their health and earnings.

SB1 takes efect three weeks after the session, making it valid ahead o the 2022 midterm elections.

But, explains the TExas Tribune, "it could still be caught up in the federal courts. Abbott’s signature was both preceded and followed by a flurry of legal challenges that generally argue that the law will disproportionately harm voters of color and voters with disabilities."