Texas Department of Public Safety troopers could be at polling places under a Senate proposal passed Wednesday. The bill from Houston Republican Sen. Paul...
, the secretary of state would appoint a “chief election marshal” for geographical regions of roughly one million people. The chief marshal would have the authority to deputize other law enforcement officers as long as they are with DPS. Designated election marshals would have the power to issue commands to local election administrators to halt any conduct they believe violates the law, initiate investigations and make arrests.
While the proposal targets county officials who conduct elections, critics of the bill believe it could have a chilling effect on non-white voter turnout and lead to discrimination. Democratic senators from Harris County were the most vociferous in their opposition to the bill. Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, said Bettencourt’s bill was “like taking a sledgehammer to swat a fly.”
Miles, another Houston Democratic senator, said the bill resembles a Florida law he criticized for theThe bill also modifies how Texas courts handle election lawsuits. It disqualifies local judges from presiding over lawsuits involving elections in their judicial district or county. It also creates a rocket docket system giving judges three-hour deadlines to hear election lawsuits filed while voting is ongoing.
Miles called the disqualification of local judges “judge shopping,” while Bettencourt said it codifies a long understood standard for local judges to recuse themselves from lawsuits involving elections within their jurisdictions.. Philip Jankowski has covered government, politics and criminal justice in Texas for 13 years. He previously worked for the Austin American-Statesman, the Killeen Daily Herald and the Taylor Press. Philip is a graduate of the University of Texas-Austin.
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