It’s been clear since Trump ran for the presidency in 2016 that he’s not above cheating to win an election, and clearer since he won that election that he’s not above using the power of his office to cheat again. What’s been surprising has been the number of Republicans willing to help him cheat, including those who hold lower offices in red states.
A Texas federal judge has ruled that state Republicans are violating the federal 'motor voter' law by refusing to allow residents to simultaneously register to vote online when they apply for a driver's license, file a change-of-address or renew online. https://t.co/nvaEMuUPa6
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 29, 2020
In Texas, two state officials have tried to use the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to cheat, demanding that residents who choose to renew or obtain a driver’s license online rather than sitting in an enclosed space with potentially infected people cannot register to vote while getting that license as they do in-person at the DMV. A federal judge ruled on Friday that those state officials are in violation of the law.
According to Courthouse News:
‘U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia concluded Texas Secretary of State and Department of Public Safety officials are violating the National Voter Registration Act by forcing users of the online driver’s license system to print out a blank voter registration form to send to their county registrar. He ordered the state to make the online voter registration available to the public by Sept. 23 — in less than a month.’
🚨BREAKING: Texas Federal Court orders state to implement simultaneous voter registration–any online driver’s license renewal or change-of-address will automatically result in user being registered to vote at current address.
Victory for @DSCC @DCCC!https://t.co/GclDdtCdky
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) August 28, 2020
It’s a long-established fact that higher voter turnout tends to favor Democrats over Republicans. Trump told Fox News that increasing opportunities to vote would end the Republican Party, which is why Republicans are taking every opportunity to keep people from the polls, including through mail-in voting and by purging or restricting voter registrations.
In his ruling, the judge stated that:
‘Defendants have been on notice of their continuous violation of the NVRA since at least 2016, yet defendants’ practices have remained unchanged…The public clearly has a paramount interest in removing voter registration barriers and having procedures that encourage rather than discourage voter registration. Defendants have offered no factual or legal argument that would justify denying the simultaneous voter registration to which [the plaintiff] is legally entitled.’
For second time, federal judge finds Texas is violating voter registration law https://t.co/yvFnFx8NGa
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) August 28, 2020
Texas officials tried to say that registering to vote online broke statewide requirements for presenting a physical ID and singing that ID by hand, saying that electronic signatures don’t count. The judge begged to differ.
‘DPS already uses electronic records and previously imaged electronic signatures for every Texan that uses the online system … [a]nd SOS already uses electronic records and previously imaged electronic signatures for voter registration purposes and admits that electronic signatures comply with signature requirements and the NVRA and Texas Election Code.’
#BREAKING: San Antonio federal judge rules Texas is violating National Voter Registration Act by not allowing Texans who renew driver's licenses online to register to vote online, instead forces them to print out and mail in registration. Story forthcoming @CourthouseNews pic.twitter.com/K2YKIg0dRt
— David Lee (@davejourno) August 28, 2020
