An outraged Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick castigated those implying that GOP efforts to restrict Texas voting are racist. But the state has a history of marginalizing voters of color, and many business leaders, voting rights advocates and Democrats see it taking another step down that path.
Two nights of voting in Houston, eight months apart, each occurring as midnight slipped by, lay bare the fault line cutting through Texasâ ongoing debate about voter suppression.
First, the March 3, 2020, presidential primary. On the campus of Texas Southern University, a historically Black college, hundreds waited in a line that wrapped through a campus library and out into a courtyard for four hours, then five, then six after polls were supposed to close at 7 p.m. â the result of an unexpected surge of Democratic voters and a mismanagement of voting machines.
Then in November, Houston residents â most of them people of color â were again voting after hours in the general election, but this time it was intentional. Harris County had set up a day of 24-hour voting to make it easier for voters, like shift workers, who face difficulty getting to the polls during traditional hours.
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune
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Two nights of voting in Houston, eight months apart, each occurring as midnight slipped by, lay bare the fault line cutting through Texas’ ongoing debate about voter suppression.
First, the March 3, 2020, presidential primary. On the campus of Texas Southern University, a historically Black college, hundreds waited in a line that wrapped through a campus library and out into a courtyard for four hours, then five, then six after polls were supposed to close at 7 p.m. the result of an unexpected surge of Democratic voters and a mismanagement of voting machines.
Texas Republicans say their proposed voting restrictions are color blind. But many see Jim Crow in a tuxedo.
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Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune
Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Two nights of voting in Houston, eight months apart, each occurring as midnight slipped by, lay bare the fault line cutting through Texas’ ongoing debate about voter suppression.
First, the March 3, 2020 presidential primary. On the campus of Texas Southern University, a historically Black college, hundreds waited in a line that wrapped through a campus library and out into a courtyard for four hours, then five, then six after polls were supposed to close at 7 p.m. the result of an unexpected surge of Democratic voters and a mismanagement of voting machines.
Texas Republicans say their proposed voting restrictions are color blind But many see krgv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from krgv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.