Texas governor tees up special session full of conservative priorities
Texas | July 9, 2021
Texas legislators will return to Austin on Thursday to finalize work on some of the most controversial conservative priorities that have emerged in states across the country this year.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said in a statement Wednesday that the legislature would tackle a major package of election overhauls that failed at the last minute in May when House Democrats staged a surprise walkout, denying a quorum and killing the bill.
Republicans had pledged to revive the legislation, which makes changes to rules related to early voting and curbside voting, bans round-the-clock voting centers and eliminates straight-ticket voting. It would also limit the use of drop-boxes for those who cast absentee ballots.
In an effort to force legislative action after the walkout, Abbott vetoed a budget provision that would have funded the state legislature itself.
The Texas voting overhaul is among the most comprehensive in a series of measures across the country aimed at reforming election rules in the wake of the 2020 elections. Republican governors have signed similarly sweeping bills in states like Arizona and Georgia, and legislators have passed measures that have been or will be vetoed by Democratic governors in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin…
(Excerpts from the Hill)