The Fight for Voting Reform in Texas:
The Many Faces of Voter Suppression
To live in a society that empowers its people to vote and participate fully in the democratic process is a distant reality in the state of Texas, where voter registration, voting and full participation in politics is actively suppressed.
“There is no one common narrative that we can tell about voter suppression in Texas,” says Alex Birnel, Advocacy Manager at MOVE Texas. “We can tell it is happening everywhere, so it’s not a uniform suppression because it can even vary county-to-county.”
“The reality is that these are part of a greater history of disenfranchisement from poll taxes to literacy tests.”
Organizations like MOVE Texas work throughout the state to ensure young people have a voice in the political process, through dedicated voter registration, Get Out the Vote (GOTV) and mobilization efforts. When asked what voter suppression looks like, MOVE’s Executive Director, Drew Galloway answered “Imagine a runner facing multiple hurdles. The Texas legislature then puts down additional hurdles and by the end of the race, you are just EXHAUSTED — that is if you even make it to the finish line.” Galloway clarifies, “The hurdles in place are strict voter ID laws, a strict & complicated voter registration process, bills like SB9, and the fact that voter deputy registration is even a thing. The reality is that these are part of a greater history of disenfranchisement from poll taxes to literacy tests.”
VOTER REGISTRATION
The first face of voter suppression in Texas is the very process of getting registered.
“It is easier for me to jump on a plane to Denver, Colorado, hop off and register folks to vote than drive to a different county and register folks there,” said Galloway.
How residents register to vote varies state by state, where state legislatures have the power to modernize voter registration through efforts like automatic voter registration, online voter registration and portability (when you remain registered even if you have moved within the state). Texas has neither implemented any of these modernization efforts nor does it have the intention of implementing them.
To illustrate, let’s compare the voter registration experience between a California resident & Texas resident.
Getting Registered
While Texas continues to uphold a process meant to deter people from registering, California has implemented numerous policies to make registering easier. Not only has California implemented automatic voter registration and online voter registration, but also teens are able to pre-register to vote, so that when they turn 18 they are automatically registered. And it doesn’t stop there. California even has SAME DAY REGISTRATION so you are able to register to vote on Election Day.
What is a Texas Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR)?
In order to register people to vote in Texas, you must receive a VDR license which requires a VDR training or class to receive. This license is only valid in the county you take the VDR class in and expires on Dec. 31 of every even numbered year, regardless of the date received. Complicated right? Well that’s the point; the state does not want you registered.
Texas is the only state in the U.S. where the most efficient way to register to vote is through a VDR. Here’s the breakdown:
- NO online voter registration
- NO portability (registration becomes void if you move)
- NO pre-registration
- NO same-day registration
- NO automatic voter registration
So, say you’re a Texas resident and you’re finally registered to vote. Now what? How accessible is voting for you? The journey doesn’t end here.
VOTING
Not only does the state of Texas make voter registration difficult by refusing to modernize its registration system, but the state also ensures there are hurdles getting to the ballot box. This is the second face of voter suppression — accessibility of voting.
Polling Locations
Texas has closed more polling locations than any other state, leading the nation with 750 closures since 2012. “If Texas was still supervised by the U.S. Supreme Court, things could be different,” stated Birnel, referencing the landmark Shelby County v. Holder case which eliminated key provisions of The Voting Rights Act of 1965. As a result, there is no accountability or oversight to changes in voting laws that negatively impact communities of color.
One of many strategies for conservative lawmakers in Texas is to limit or close polling locations on Texas college campuses, in an effort to limit young, minority, and progressive votes. For organizations like MOVE Texas or the Texas Civil Rights Projects, which both threatened to sue Hays County over early voting restrictions for Texas State University students, the fight for accessible campus polling locations continues.
Recently, Tarrant County (Fort Worth Area) has moved forward in closing various polling locations on large college campuses that turned the county purple in 2018. College campuses like UT-Arlington (40,000 student population), Texas Christian University (10,000 student population), Tarrant County College (50,000 student population) and more are being denied polling locations that make voting accessible to students.
This is voter suppression at its finest.
Unfortunately and unsurprisingly to organizers on the ground, there are more challenges even after you find your polling location. From early voting restrictions, to strict voter ID laws (a Texas Handgun License is valid but a student ID is not), to precinct specific voting versus county-wide voting, voter suppression reveals itself at every step of the way.
Time and again, Texas continues to fail its residents, which was most evident at the 86th Legislative Session in Spring of 2019, which saw attempts by politicians to harden these structures and put up more hurdles rather than tear them down.
While this is the current political environment in Texas, it does not have to remain this way.
FUTURE OF TEXAS
Knowing that Texas has one of the worst voter participation rates in the U.S., it was a huge shock to witness youth voter turnout in the 2018 General Election triple from turnout in 2014. Confronting the hurdles like the ones above are many young, passionate and dedicated organizers & leaders in Texas, some of whom I had the privilege of working alongside. It is because of grassroots organizing that the future of Texas is bright.
“We are invested in making voting accessible for young people and creating a culture around young people voting,” said Raven Douglas, MOVE’s Deputy Director. In 2018 alone, MOVE Texas registered around 30,000 new voters under the age of 30, making MOVE one of the most effective registration forces in Texas.
When comparing Texas to other states, it is clear that these hurdles also ensure that non-profit organizations have to use an enormous amount of energy, time and resources to get people registered. Organizations in other states can focus on getting people out to vote, versus making sure they are registered in the first place. “The reality is that voter suppression changes the culture of organizing,” stated Birnel. Organizations in Texas need funding, resources, and more investment to fight against a culture and political apparatus vehemently opposed to widespread political participation.
What needs to change?
There is a lot of work to be done at local, state, and federal level to ensure voter registration and voting is accessible to all in the state of Texas. ALL who are able and willing MUST organize and mobilize in the fight for a Texas that better represents the diverse and beautiful communities who call the state home.
Regardless of these efforts, structural barriers that perpetuate voter suppression remain in place. Voter suppression has many faces and is a force that is seen and felt at every level. Given this reality, we need folks inside and outside of Texas to fight back.
Texans are Black, Brown, Disabled, Queer, Trans, young, bold, beautiful, unapologetic, and tired of old white cis men in positions of power that actively work to suppress our voice and our vote.
