Voting Rights: GOPers Struggle To Pass Anti-Voting Rights Bills In Texas And Missouri

Missouri’s effort to gut the anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative voters recently approved flamed out, thanks to an unforced procedural error last week. That doesn’t mean that Missouri Republicans won’t try again next year. But this year’s legislative session ended without the GOP being able to get on the 2020 ballot a measure that would have reversed or undermined key redistricting provisions in the 2018 so-called Clean Missouri ballot initiative. They failed, in part, because not enough Republicans showed up to a committee vote to advance the House-passed measure to the Senate floor. It is also looking unlikely that Texas GOP legislators will be able to pass their marquee anti-voting rights legislation, which critics said was designed to suppress voter turnout. The controversial bill would make certain election code violations — even if done unknowingly — crimes punishable with jail time and also put new paperwork requirements on those who assist voters with physical impairments that prevent them from entering polling places.…