Texas voting bill signed into law, US President calls it 'assault on democracy'

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on September 7 spoke out against the Republican-backed new voting law passed in Texas. While taking to Twitter, Biden called the new law an “assault on the US democracy. Harris, on the other hand, said that the US Senate needs to pass both the ‘For the People Act’ and ‘John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act’. Their remarks came after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the 'election integrity bill' into law that Democrats view as an effort to restrict voting rights. 

In a separate tweet, Harris added, “The U.S. Senate must act to protect the voting rights of all Americans by passing the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act”. 

Texas voting right law

Meanwhile, according to CNN, the bill passed by the Republican legislation bans 24-hour and drive-thru voting, imposes new hurdles on mail-in ballots and empowers partisan poll watchers. During an event at which he signed the bill into law, Governor Abbott said that it does make it easier than ever before for anybody to go cast a ballot. Abbott, however, added that it does also make sure it is harder than ever for people to cheat at the ballot box. 

“One thing that all Texans can agree is that we must have trust and confidence in our elections," Abbott said. "The bill that I'm about to sign helps to achieve that goal. One thing that it does is, it ensures that every eligible voter will have the opportunity to vote,” he added.

CNN reported that the new bill also blocks counties from sending unsolicited mail-in voting applications. It forbids voting on Sundays before 13:00. The new bill also makes it harder to remove partisan poll watchers and grants them “free movement” in polling places. Additionally, it also creates monthly citizenship checks. 

Now, the enactment of the Republican-backed bill marks a bitter defeat for Democrats, who had been trying to prevent it from passing. It is worth mentioning that at least 18 states have also enacted new voting laws since last year’s presidential election. Republicans have argued that the measures are essential for election security. 

(With inputs from ANI)