Major voting rights trial is unfolding in Texas: What to know
Last week in Texas, a federal trial opened over whether Senate Bill 1, or S.B. 1, violates the U.S. Constitution Last week in Texas, a federal trial opened over whether a 2021 voting rights law in the state violates the U.S. Constitution. The suit -- brought on behalf of La Union del Pueblo, or LUPE, and other groups -- argues that certain provisions of Texas Senate Bill 1 have made voting more difficult, especially for less-educated, non-English-speaking and disabled populations in need of voting assistance. The trial began on Sept. 11 and is expected to continue for the next few weeks. S.B. 1 further empowers partisan poll watchers and further enhances ID requirements for voting by mail. It also bans balloting methods that places like Harris County, the third most populous county in the U.S. and the largest in Texas, implemented in response to COVID-19, such as drive-through and 24-hour voting . Harris County, home to Houston, has increasingly voted Democratic in the last decade ...