Election Integrity gets stymied in House committee
Governor Abbott signs SB 1243 on June 13, returning the penalty for voter fraud to a felony.
June 15, 2023 | Montgomery County, TX
The Texas Legislature wrapped up its regular session on Monday, May 29. Did they live up to voters’ expectations when it comes to protecting our elections?
The Montgomery County Republican Party (MCRP) Legislative Committee tracked several wins in the category of Election Integrity. But plugging all of the holes that threaten the integrity of our system is a long and complex task, and the list of bills that died on the table is much longer. Many bills passed the Senate but died in House committee because House Elections Committee Chair Reggie Smith (HD 62) refused to call meetings toward the end of the session, essentially shutting down the committee.
Election Integrity wins and losses
The biggest win in this category was likely SB 1070, which bars Texas from participating in ERIC, a controversial voter roll interstate cross check program, thought by many to be vulnerable to issues of data security and partisan access to voter data. The bill almost didn’t make it, having been withdrawn by its own author after Speaker Phelan accepted a Point of Order. With a backed-up work schedule, the Point of Order tactic was used regularly in this session to send bills back to committee where they typically would run out the clock and die. However, this bill was saved by objections from outraged voters who contacted their legislators and committee members. The bill was returned promptly to the floor for a favorable vote.
“Voting illegally in Texas can now lead to a 20-year sentence,” said Governor Abbott.
HB 1243 by Rep. Hefner passed, which returns the penalty for voter fraud to a felony, as did HB 5180 by Rep. Wilson, which provides for public inspection of ballots after 60 days of an election.
Governor Abbott signed SB 1243 into law on June 13. Opponents of the bill claimed in the Dallas Morning News that its passage makes it possible to “accidentally” commit voter fraud by “lowering the bar for what constitutes fraud.” But a close reading of the bill shows quite the opposite, providing a lesson in how left-leaning media tries to vilify legislation to protect our elections.
Visit our Protect Our Elections Bills List to view other bills that passed.
Every win is to be celebrated, but each of the important bills we followed that died is a potential nail in the coffin of our vulnerable election system.
“A major miss was addressing the issue of the Attorney General’s lack of authority to prosecute election crimes,” said Republican Party of Texas Legislative Chair Jill Glover. “We were also very disappointed that SB 990, calling for precinct-only voting on election day, failed.”
Democrats set their sights on Tarrant County Republicans fighting for election integrity
As we have seen, very little of the legislation proposed to secure our elections systems passed through the 88th legislative session, most dying in the Texas House, controlled by a coalition of Democrats and RINOs. But that was not enough for some.
Tarrant County Democrats, along with their allies in the Biden Justice Department, are setting their sights on Republicans who want election integrity in Texas and our friends at True Texas Project are in the crosshairs.
The issue stems from Tarrant County’s creation of a County Election Integrity Task Force in February 2023. Democrats in the county claim the task force is racially driven and aims to suppress voters in minority communities.
“I find it interesting that whenever election integrity and enforcement of election laws are mentioned, the Democrats immediately shout voter suppression and racism,” said True Texas Project President Fran Rhodes.
In a May 15 letter to the Department of Justice, four Democrat Texas House members, a Democrat Congressman, and two County Commissioners claim that the task force “will further diminish the voting rights of those we represent and undermine their ability to freely and effectively participate in elections.”
The letter claims that True Texas Project issued death threats against Tarrant County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia, who announced his resignation effective as of June 23, 2023. The letter also states that the Southern Poverty Law Center named True Texas Project “as an extremist group.” This is the same far-left group that recently classified Moms for Liberty, who call themselves “joyful warriors,” as an extremist hate group.
“And this time, they went running to the Democrat administration’s DOJ to investigate,” True Texas Project President Fran Rhodes told Texas Scorecard. “There is nothing wrong with expecting election laws to be enforced and investigating and prosecuting those who violate the law.”