Texas AFT sued state election officials Tuesday to block the provisions of Senate Bill 1 (signed into law the same day), which reduces access to and suppresses voting for Texans. Also suing in the petition are Voto Latino, LULAC Texas, and the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans.
“We should be showing our students that Texas values voter participation and strives to make it more accessible,” said Texas AFT President Zeph Capo. “This law is an embarrassment, one that students will see as taking us backward to a time when many voices and their votes were repressed. While our students are learning about past discriminatory voting practices, they are confronted today with a life lesson that proves the adage that those who don’t learn their history are doomed to repeat it. This law sends a harmful and ominous message about our students’ future ability to participate in our democracy.”
Texas AFT is a strong advocate of voting rights and increasing access to voting. The state also faces at least four other lawsuits against the controversial bill.