National Urban League and Affiliates Denounce Texas Voting Rights Legislation
Washington, D.C. (September 7, 2021) – Today, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial and Houston and Austin, Texas affiliate Presidents Judson Robinson and Quincy Dunlap issued the following joint statement in response to Governor Abbott signing voter suppression legislation, Senate Bill 1:
“Texas is unfortunately the latest state to codify systemic voter suppression with the enactment of Senate Bill 1,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “This bill cuts back measures designed to make voting more accessible, especially for Black voters and voters of color. Governor Abbott and the State legislature are intent on retaliating against the record number of people who sought to vote against them in 2020. That election was one of the most accessible elections in the history of Texas. Now more than ever, we need Congress to answer our calls for voting rights and ballot justice by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and For the People Act. Without congressional action, states like Texas, Georgia, Florida and others will continue to threaten our democracy by limiting access to the people’s constitutional right to the ballot.”
“We must continue to oppose any bill that suppresses and denies African Americans, people of color and those in marginalized communities the opportunity to vote, and Senate Bill 1 will do just that,” said Judson Robinson, President and CEO of the Houston Area Urban League. “This bill is rooted in white supremacy and racism, and we can no longer stand idly by while our constitutional rights are violated. We are demanding that Senators Cruz and Cornyn support the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. We cannot allow our elected leaders to advance laws of voter suppression and allow them to call it voter integrity. It is misleading and it is wrong!
“The passing of Texas Senate Bill 1, House Bill 3 or any variation of this legislation is a direct action to restrict the voting rights of African American and other marginalized voters in the state of Texas,” said Quincy Dunlap, President and CEO, Austin Area Urban League. “This is a conservative, republican-led attack on an inalienable right for all legal citizens and an assault on the constitutional civil liberties afforded to all Americans. Racism and power consolidation in the form of election turnout control is at the core of this legislation.”
Once enacted, the Texas Senate Bill 1 will allow for newer, stricter identification requirements and will embolden poll watchers to harass voters while creating new rules and criminal penalties for those who seek to assist voters. This bill will also criminally punish election officials who proactively support ballot access by distributing mail-in ballot applications to those who are eligible.