The Department of Justice sues Texas over restrictive voting law
Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, the Biden Administration filed a federal lawsuit against Texas in regard to the state's new voting law.
The Department of Justice is suing the state of Texas and the Texas Secretary of State over "certain restrictive voting procedures" put in place by Senate Bill 1, which went into effect on September 1.
In a statement released by the DOJ, assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said, "Laws that impair eligible citizens’ access to the ballot box have no place in our democracy."
She continued, "Texas Senate Bill 1’s restrictions on voter assistance at the polls and on which absentee ballots cast by eligible voters can be accepted by election officials are unlawful and indefensible."
The lawsuit is directed at two provisions included in SB-1 that deal with providing assistance to voters at the polls and mail-in voting.
The suit states that SB-1 violates the Voting Rights Act by restricting the type of assistance available at the polls to voters with disabilities, or those who are unable to read or write.
According to the DOJ, SB-1 harms such voters by barring their assistors from providing necessary help at the voting booth, including answering basic questions, responding to requests to clarify ballot language, or confirm that visually-impaired voters have marked their ballots as they intended.
Additionally, the DOJ claimed that SB-1 violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by rejecting mail-In ballots and ballot request forms due to specific "paperwork errors or omissions" that are not needed to establish voter eligibility.
The Texas Democratic Party chair Gilberto Hinojosa issued a statement following the DOJ's announcement of the lawsuit.
"This pivotal action taken by the U.S. Department of Justice is a crucial step towards protecting our democracy and protecting Texans’ freedom to vote from the ongoing anti-voter attacks by Republican leadership in our state," Hinojosa said.
As a remedy to its concerns, the DOJ has asked the court to prohibit Texas from enforcing the two provisions named in the lawsuit.
Cover photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire