Lone Star Project: “Insurrection Texas”
INSURRECTION TEXAS
On January 6, 2021, MAGA extremists forced their way inside the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to subvert the results of the 2020 election. In 2023, In the Texas State Capitol, MAGA extremists have had no need to force their way in; in fact, they are already inside. Far-right authoritarians serving in the Legislature, with the full-throated support of Greg Abbott, are proposing a series of extreme and discriminatory election bills intended to subvert our democracy by rewriting state law to win elections they might otherwise lose. This is not about voter fraud—Texas Republicans are currently planning to withdraw from a national program proven to help battle election fraud. Facts and fair analysis reveal a silent insurrection designed to undermine the will of voters before, during, and after elections.
Attacks on Individual Voters and Ability to Cast a Ballot
Republicans are taking direct aim at the individual Texas voter. Some proposals severely restrict the ability to cast a ballot, while others make felony offenses out of incorrect or mistaken ballots—all in the name of ‘fighting fraud’. It all speaks to the broader Republican strategy in Texas: instead of attempting to expand their support among Texans, hold power by keeping statewide voter turnout artificially low through voter suppression schemes (targeting minority voters and elderly voters in particular).
Outlaw Vote-by-Mail for Texas Seniors (SB 1338): State Senator Bob Hall (SD2- Rockwall), ally of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick ally and MAGA Republican, has proposed a major new restriction that will make it illegal for Texans 65 years of age or older to vote by mail without claiming disability or absence from their home county. Millions of Texas seniors regularly vote by mail. It has been legal and encouraged for decades. This egregious, arbitrary, pointless restriction on voting will negatively impact senior citizens in every corner of our state.
Penalize Voting Violations the Same as Sexual Assault and Manslaughter (SB 2): Makes any instance of illegal voting a felony, with zero carveouts. Any unintentional issue, error, or mistake will then carry a potential penalty up to 20 years in prison – the same level as sexual assault, manslaughter, and other violent crimes. Widespread or intentional instances of voter fraud are the rarest of crimes, and Republican leaders know it. Their purpose behind SB2 is not to reduce voter fraud; it is to create a sense of danger and risk of incarceration around voting, all with the intent to keep turnout low.
Strip Texans from Voter Rolls (SB 260): MAGA Republican Senator Lois Kolkhorst (SD18 – Brenham) is moving to strip voters from the rolls who have not voted in the previous 25 months (the last two consecutive general elections). Even voters who are properly registered and otherwise in exact compliance with Texas law would be removed from active voter rolls and disqualified from casting a ballot.
Show-Me-Your-Papers Voter Registration (SB 1600): MAGA Republican Senator Brian Hughes—author of the abortion bounty hunter bill and architect of Jim Crow-style voting changes made in 2021—now intends to limit voter registration by requiring proof of citizenship before registering to vote. Voting by non-citizens in Texas (or anywhere else) is extremely rare. Again, the intention here is not to stop illegal voting; rather, it is to create roadblocks, making it harder and thus less likely that eligible voters will register.
Ending County-Wide Voting on Election Day (SB 990): The ability to cast a ballot at any polling place within a county has proven to be successful and highly popular—which has clearly alarmed Texas Republicans. So, in order to make his life easier, Republican Senator Bob Hall in the legislature has decided to make the average voter’s life harder. In another move to suppress votes and create more possibilities for unintentional mistakes that could be prosecuted as felonies, this bill would eliminate countywide polling places on election day.
Attacks on Democratic Process
Unlike recent elections in Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, no Democrat has won a close race in Texas. However, just because Texas Republicans haven’t tried to overturn a statewide election doesn’t mean they aren’t gearing up to do just that. In recent years, Republicans are losing more and more major races in the big counties, and they know that the Democrats’ success in large urban and exurban counties may lead to statewide Democratic wins sooner rather than later. So, in MAGA fashion, Texas Republicans are laying the groundwork to usurp control and overturn the will of voters in large urban counties.
Overturning Fair Elections (SB 1993): One of the most blatant anti-democratic election measures in the country, this bill would allow the Texas Secretary of State to investigate elections, cancel the results, and order a new election. It pairs with SB 823, which calls for the appointment of a specially appointed overseer to whom your local county election administrator would answer. This special-appointment system is just by design: the Texas Secretary of State is selected at the behest of the Governor, and therefore essentially works for him. Canceling elections and ordering a revote, and putting hand-picked cronies in those ‘elected’ positions, is nothing short of fascist authoritarianism.
Voting Police (SB 220): State Senator Paul Bettencourt (SD7 – Houston) was forced to leave county office a decade ago following his implication in a discriminatory voter registration controversy. Now Bettencourt is back, and he calls his new scam ‘Election Marshals.’ Don’t let the noble name fool you; this would be a type of ‘voter police’ which would nominally investigate accusations of voter fraud, but in reality would investigate…whoever right-wing partisan politicians wanted. It’s modeled after the authoritarian election police established in Florida by Ron DeSantis.
Eliminate College Campus Voter (HB 2390): Rep. Carrie Isaac (HD73 – Dripping Springs) is moving to outlaw polling places on college campuses. Simply: there is no evidence of significant fraud, or even voter irregularities, on college-based polling locations. This effort on the part of MAGA Republicans is clearly wholly intended to suppress young voters—young voters that are increasingly rejecting the MAGA Republican candidates who currently dominate Texas offices.
Conclusion
Here in Texas, we’ve reached the point that authoritarian, anti-democratic voting laws are not just expected from Republican leaders; they are demanded by the MAGA forces they answer to. It is critically important that these outrageous attacks on American democracy not be taken as mere run-of-the-mill partisan squabbling. While anti-democratic legislation would seem to be far from likely to pass in a democracy, it’s likelier than sane citizens might think—unless they remain vigilant. When asked about these bills, Chad Dunn, voting rights attorney and Texas election law expert, commented: “When these ideas are first floated, people are aghast…But he cautioned that the lawmakers who sponsor such bills tend to bring them back over and over again…Then, six, eight, 10 years later, these terrible ideas become law.”
