Critics Say New Texas Polling Station Law Suppresses Liberal Votes
Nationwide, college student voter turnout doubled between 2014 and 2018, according to a new study by Tufts University. But in Texas and elsewhere, new efforts by Republican lawmakers are making it harder for students to vote this year.
Critics say these moves are designed to suppress liberal votes. About 67% of people ages 18-29, a demographic that includes college students, voted for Democratic candidates in 2018, according to the Pew Research Center.
While attempts by Texas Republicans to hinder voting are nothing new, Glen Maxey, legislative affairs director for the Texas Democratic Party, said a law passed by the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June targets college campus voting arrangements, as well as access to polls for people who live far from polling stations.
Valerie Maniscalco, a graduate student at Southern Methodist University, has voted in every election since she was 18. For her, it's part of her duty as an American citizen to participate in the democratic process, not only so that she can have a say, but because people in many other countries don't have the option to vote or to vote freely, she said.
Read more: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/critics-say-new-texas-polling-station-law-suppresses-liberal-votes-11794519
