LWVTX Blog

Another Special Session

Governor Abbott has promised a special session focused on Educational Savings Accounts beginning on October 9th. SB 8, the Governor’s bill in the regular session, did not get out of committee in the House. According to the Texas Tribune, the Governor promises successive sessions on this subject. It remains to be seen whether he will add anything else to the call. Please look for Action Alerts on this topic. The League has a long history of opposing school vouchers. It is essential that we continue to protect our public school funding by continuing to oppose them.

It's Been Ten Years since Shelby County v. Holder

To commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the Shelby County v. Holder decision and the fight ahead for voting rights, The NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights are hosting “From Shelby to Milligan” a voter education series to educate on the necessity of community and Southern coalition organizing to create a pathway for historical legal decisions, including the contributions of Texas organizations.

Events will be held on the following dates in these cities:

• October 10th – Katy, Texas
• October 14th – TX NAACP State Conference, Civic Engagement Session
• October 15th - San Antonio
• October 16th – Paul Quinn College (HBCU), Dallas
• October 17th - Bell County
• October 18th – Austin
• October 19th - Galveston
• October 20th - Houston 3rd ward

Currently, we do not have times and locations for many of these events. As we get more information, we will keep you posted.

Litigation Concerning SB1

In the 2021 session, the Legislature made significant changes to our election systems. In particular, the election overhaul bill (SB1), impacted vote by mail applications and ballots, limited who can assist voters at the polls, and outlawed so-called ballot harvesting. The League and its partners have challenged SB1 in Federal Court. The District Court in San Antonio is hearing the case right now. We have received a favorable ruling on the new identification requirements for vote by mail applications and ballots (which will not go into effect in time for the upcoming election), but the remaining challenges are being tried to a judge. Our immediate past president, Grace Chimene, testified last week and did a wonderful job establishing and defending the League’s standing to sue in this matter. The trial is expected to last into November.