AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Democratic candidate for governor Beto O’Rourke introduced his group will begin an training outreach marketing campaign to 2 million Texans about adjustments in voting guidelines underneath new state election legal guidelines.
O’Rourke introduced the marketing campaign to a bunch of reporters exterior the Texas capitol on Friday, the place the sounds of honking and cheers from drivers recognizing the Democrat steadily paused his remarks.
The previous El Paso Congressman mentioned this marketing campaign is in response to the U.S. Senate’s failure to cross federal voting rights laws, which was in-part designed to right new laws from Republican states like Texas.
“Texas has been on the epicenter of this combat for the appropriate to vote,” O’Rourke mentioned. “We’re clear eyed about the truth that the federal authorities nor anybody else goes to assist us out in Texas. It’s as much as us to assist ourselves and that is how we’re going to try this.”
Beginning in February, greater than 44,000 volunteers from O’Rourke’s marketing campaign will begin a blitz of door-knocking, telephone calls, texts and letter writing to teach voters on navigating the adjustments handed from Senate Invoice 1, dubbed by Republicans because the “elections integrity” invoice.
“Within the quick time period, we will guarantee that we educate one another about what it takes to vote now in Texas,” O’Rourke mentioned. “In order that nobody — be they Republican, Democrat or Unbiased or in any other case — is denied this critically vital constitutional rights to be heard in our democracy.”
Texas lawmakers handed sweeping changes to its election laws within the fall of 2021, including extra voting restrictions after Democrats spent months protesting what they are saying are efforts to weaken minority turnout and protect the GOP’s dominance.
O’Rourke additionally mentioned he hopes this marketing campaign will assist with the confusion some voters really feel across the modified guidelines for requesting a mail-in poll — a problem receiving rising consideration after a number of counties have reported having to reject excessive percentages of voters’ requests.
These new guidelines require voters to offer the identification quantity they used when first registering to vote in Texas, both their drivers’ license or social safety quantity. Nevertheless, if that quantity doesn’t match what’s on file, their request for a mail-in poll might be mechanically rejected. Texans can re-apply if rejected, and it’s instructed to offer each numbers if they can not keep in mind. Nevertheless, native county election officers are usually not allowed to inform voters this, as a result of it may be seen as selling mail-in voting — which is now illegal underneath SB 1.
“That’s as a result of this new regulation was supposed to make it tougher to vote. And it appears prefer it’s working,” O’Rourke mentioned.
Republicans have repeatedly defended their regulation, saying it’s going to assist forestall election fraud and make voting simpler, usually pointing to a provision that will increase the minimal variety of early voting hours.
There are solely 10 days left for Texans to register to vote for the March 1 main election, the place voters will choose nominees for the Democratic or Republican events in statewide races. Texans can double check their registration status here. Extra info on easy methods to register to vote or request absentee ballots will also be discovered on the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
