President Biden called a new Texas voting overhaul finalized by state Republicans an "assault on democracy."
A draft of the bill was circulated around the state House and Senate Saturday, and the legislature is expected to pass the legislation and send it to GOP Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk shortly.
The bill would ban drive-thru voting and 24-hour voting and would require voters to request absentee ballots rather than allowing election officials to send applications to all voters, and curtail the use of drop boxes. It sets early voting hours from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
"It’s part of an assault on democracy that we’ve seen far too often this year—and often disproportionately targeting Black and Brown Americans," Biden said in a statement. "It’s wrong and un-American."
He called on Congress to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, two Democrat-led voting bills that seek to expand voting access, particularly to minority communities.
It would also ban using temporary structures as a voting facility and would strengthen access for poll observers. It also imposes new penalties for poll workers who violate rules in a way that is deemed to interfere with the voting process.
