State leaders overhaul some election laws, including option for drive-thru voting
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Voters had the option to remain in the comfort of their own vehicle while casting their vote. But this November, voters no longer have that option after state leaders overhauled some election laws this summer.
One woman who utilized the drive-thru voting option in the 2020 presidential election, said she'll be voting at the Sunnyside Multi-service center this year.
"I had absolutely no concerns about the integrity of the voting. The machines that they passed to you in your car were very similar to the machines that you use when you walk inside. I think that (drive thru voting) helped democratize voting in a way that we hadn't seen before," Lalla Morris said.
National voting rights groups say few states make it as hard to vote as Texas, especially for the elderly, disabled, and those with limited English.
This past year, state legislators passed Senate Bill One, largely in response to changes implemented in Harris County during COVID-19. Along with eliminating drive-thru voting, there are stricter identification rules, mail-in ballots are harder to get, and more limits were put on the assistance poll workers can offer you. However, a federal judge blocked that provision so non-English speakers will be able to ask for assistance.
But Fort Bend County State Representative, Jacey Jetton, says Republicans wanted to make voting laws consistent from county to county, and they wanted to address issues raised in the 2005 Baker Institute study.
"That report said that we needed to tackle ballot harvesting, voter assistance fraud, mail-in ballot fraud especially, and that voter ID was very important," Jetton said. "We felt it was very important that we go through and strengthen our election system rebuild that trust so people will go out and vote."
Here are some facts to consider from the last gubernatorial election in Texas in 2018; The conservative political group Heritage Foundation reports that six people have been criminally convicted in Texas of some type of fraudulent voting activity In that election, 8.371 million Texans voted. That accounts for .00007168 of voters convicted of voting impropriety.
In Harris County, the ADA compliance manager, Sashi Nisankarao, says they're getting a lot of calls about drive through voting being eliminated, but Nisankarao says you can still vote in your car whether voting early, or on election day. It's called curbside voting.
"If you are a voter in need of curbside voting and you ring the buzzer outside of your voting location, the election worker should not be making any inquiries into your disability," Nisankarao explained. "We train them not to ask questions about your disability. They will bring the ballot to you to vote in your car."
Early voting started on Monday, and leaders on both sides of the political aisle agree that this year's voters should do their research early and try to take advantage of the extra hour polls the new law mandates during the early voting season. If you need help because of vision or hearing limitations, or even a learning disability, poll workers can still offer that help.
SB 1 does expand voter access in some ways. For example, during early voting you'll have an additional hour to vote, and as long as you're in line at the poll closing time, you'll still be allowed to vote, which is the same policy on election day.
Also, partisan poll watchers have more freedom to monitor voters and poll workers, and the United States Justice Department is coming to Houston to make sure they don't intimidate voters.
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