Texas Lawmakers Restore Limits on Late Voter Registration Changes

Texas lawmakers have voted to repeal a recent measure allowing voters to update their address and vote immediately in their new precinct if they moved within the same county, restoring the previous rule requiring a 30-day wait for address changes to take effect. The bill, Senate Bill 54, passed the Texas House and is expected to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, who added the repeal to the special session agenda citing concerns over potential election fraud. The original amendment, passed earlier this year with bipartisan support, aimed to modernize voter registration but faced criticism from election officials who warned it could lead to errors, such as voters receiving incorrect ballots due to insufficient verification at polling places. Supporters of the repeal, including State Rep. Matt Shaheen who authored both the original amendment and the repeal bill, emphasized the need for further hearings and stakeholder discussions to address election integrity. Election administrators like Trudy Hancock expressed concern about the challenges of verifying frequent address changes, particularly among transient populations like students. Some conservatives incorrectly described the initial measure as implementing same-day voter registration, which Texas does not allow for new voters, clarifying the focus was on address updates rather than new registrations.