The Department of Justice sued the state of Texas on Thursday, alleging that the package of voting restrictions Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law in September violates federal law.
The Texas law violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by restricting the ability of voters with disabilities to receive certain types of assistance at the polls, the department said. The state law also violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by requiring Texas election officials to reject absentee ballots based on minor paperwork errors that are “immaterial” to determining whether a voter is eligible to cast such a ballot.
