Election officials in Texas are struggling to implement new provisions in the state’s voting laws ahead of the March 1 primaries — a warning sign for states that participated in the GOP push to rewrite voting rules after former President Donald Trump’s defeat.
Hang-ups include putting new ID requirements in place and navigating stricter rules about how to distribute voter registration and absentee ballot forms. The issues have frustrated and confused the people in charge of managing the vote in Texas, election officials from four counties said in interviews.
Among the consequences: An unusually high number of applications to vote by mail were rejected ahead of the primary, officials said.
Now, the hurried process to implement the law highlights some of the unintended effects of the red state push to change voting bills over the last year. Managing changes to election procedures often falls to county officials on tight budgets with little time — and GOP legislators in numerous states are still considering new election bills this year, months before their 2022 primaries.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/10/texas-gop-voting-law-primaries-00007473