US justice department sues Texas over new voting restrictions

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The Department of Justice US has issued litigation against the state of Texas, alleging that a recently enacted law will unfairly limit voting.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Antonio on Thursday, is aimed at overturning SB1, a law passed in September to overhaul voting and election procedures in the southwestern state.

The bill, according to the Justice Department, violates federal voting and civil rights laws by prohibiting drive-in voting and imposing additional limits on voting hours and mail-in votes.

Supporters argue that the rule protects elections from fraud, but opposers argue that it unfairly affects minorities’ ability to vote, particularly Black Americans, who tend to vote for Democrats.

The Justice Department said in a statement that the law fringes on voters’ rights by limiting their access to voting help for those who need it and by rejecting mail-in forms and votes due to minor errors or omissions that do not affect a voter’s capacity to vote.

The Texas bill was part of a push by roughly 19 states, according to the liberal Brennan Center for Justice, which has signed off on 33 laws restricting voting this year.

As former President Donald Trump continues to assert without evidence that a major voter fraud plot cost him the 2020 presidential election, such laws have gained traction in Republican states.

In mid-July, about 50 Democratic Texas state legislators left the state in an attempt to overturn the law by denying the House of Representatives of the bare minimum of members needed to vote on legislation.

The governor, on the other hand, convened two additional special legislative sessions, and just enough Democrats turned up to cast a vote.

Attorney General Merrick Garland of the Justice Department remarked that democracy depends on the right of qualified citizens to vote and have their votes counted.

The Justice Department will continue to use all of the authorities at its disposal to safeguard this vital cornerstone of society.

Joe Biden’s administration of justice department is also fighting Texas in court over a bill that virtually bans abortions in the state, which was passed in September.