Affirmative SB1 Argument
The recent legislative changes with Senate Bill 1 are more good than bad. Texas has recently joined other Republican states with this change following the 2020 election. Once the bill is fully approved and provided there is nothing else to hold it up, it will take effect just in time for 2022’s primary election (Ura, 2021). The bill will put forth new voting restrictions and make other changes that relate to voter access.
Republicans hope to standardize election practices and prevent voter fraud and the new bill will help make those ideas become reality. When the bill comes into effect, one of the changes that will take place will be an increase in early voting hours (Ura, 2021). People who choose to vote by mail or envelope must provide their diver’s license or the last four digits of their SSN and the numbers must match the numbers in their voter record (Ura, 2021). Other restrictions will further alter mail voting, ban overnight early voting hours, and do away with drive-thru voting. According to Gov. Greg Abbot, the bill will make it “easier” to vote and with measures like these, the American people can be assured the entire voting process is trustworthy and lawfully made for the sake of integrity (Ura, 2021).
The new restrictions and changes do not just raise barriers– they are set in place to make sure that not just anyone can vote but rather ensure that all the votes that are cast are authentic and are done so legally by American citizens. These measures will also make it more difficult for there to be voter fraud and will help standardize voting practices. To protect our country’s voting process and maintain the trust of the American people, SB1 must be passed.
Negative SB1 Argument
The recent legislative changes with Senate Bill 1 are more bad than good. Texas has recently joined other Republican states with this change following the 2020 election. Once the bill is fully approved and provided there is nothing else to hold it up, it will take effect just in time for 2022’s primary election (Ura, 2021). The bill will put forth new voting restrictions and make other changes that relate to voter access.
The new restrictions and changes to voting could disproportionately negatively impact voters from colored or marginalized groups. Additionally, voters with disabilities may also be negatively impacted by the bill. Those who give voter assistance or take initiative to distribute applications to vote can face criminal penalties, even if for the latter the applications are provided to voters that do qualify to vote by mail (Ura, 2021). These are just some of the changes that the bill will bring and while Republicans push the narrative that the bill will help standardize voting practices, make voting easier, and prevent voter fraud, it is evident that the potential effects this bill could have on the American people could miss the mark completely, especially when it comes to the overall ease of voting.
According to the article, the bill “creates new hurdles and restrictions that will suppress voters and violates the U.S Consitution and numerous federal laws,” (Ura, 2021) which states plainly why the SB1 is not good for our country or for the American people as a whole. Considering all these cons, is passing a bill like this really worth it? If passing a bill into law that violates preexisting laws, wouldn’t that alone be conflicting enough? If one takes a moment to ponder these questions, the cons of the bill, and how it could affect every Texan, then it is easy to see that the SB1 must not be passed.
Citations:
Ura, Alexa. “Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Texas Voting Bill into Law, Overcoming Democratic Quorum Breaks.” The Texas Tribune, The Texas Tribune, 7 Sept. 2021, https://www.texastribune.org/2021/09/01/texas-voting-bill-greg-abbott/.
Ambour Leal 