DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – Dallas County is encouraging lawmakers to simplify the voting process
The Dallas County Commissioners Court voted 4 to 1 on Tuesday in favor of a resolution that asks Congress and the Texas Legislature to simplify voting by expanding vote-by-mail and enacting automatic voter registration.
A portion of the resolution is below:
1) Enact Automatic Voter Registration – Congress should pass the Automatic Voter Registration Act, and states should continue to adopt automatic voter registration. We should support bills that allow an easier
process to become a registered voter.
2) Restore the Voting Rights Act – Congress should restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act, and states should supplement those protections. The Voting Rights Act was landmark legislation that finally
leveled access to the playing field for African Americans in this country who had been denied a basic guaranteed right simply based on skin color. The Voting Rights Act must be affirmed now to ensure the Jim Crow laws that denied these rights to our fellow citizens never resurfaces in this nation.
3) Expand Early Voting – Congress should set minimum early voting requirements in federal elections, and the states that don’t offer early voting should adopt it. While Texas has fairly liberal early voting laws, the access
to early voting sites is not equal across counties. Texas must ensure that early voting sites remains accessible in every county and give each county local authority to expand (but not restrict) early voting as needed for their
constituents.
4) Prevent Long Lines at the Polls – Congress and the states should set and enforce standards to ensure all polling places have sufficient voting machines, poll workers, and other resources to avoid long lines. The
expansion of Vote by Mail would help to reduce unnecessary lines at polling locations. Texas has a history of successfully implementing absentee voting and could put the necessary protections in place to allow this an additional option for voters.
A number of public speakers argued that the court was pushing a personal agenda. They argued that voting in person is the most effective way to vote, while advocates said the resolution makes it easier for all residents to cast a ballot.
Listen to Clayton Neville’s story below:
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