Texas

Some excerpts:

In a 78 page ruling, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez found that a key part of the Texas 2021 omnibus voter legislation is confusing, vague, overly broad, violates freedom of speech along with the 14th Amendment and there is no actual problem of illegal vote harvesting.

"Witnesses were particularly uncertain about how to interpret the terms “physical presence” and “compensation” — neither of which is defined in the statute — and how the Canvassing Restriction impacts organizers’ ability to provide voting assistance during their in-person interactions with voters," Rodriguez wrote.

Under the ruling, the Texas Attorney General’s office can no longer conduct investigations based on the provision. The AG’s office cited it when it recently conducted a series of raids on the homes of Latino voting rights activists and a Democratic candidate for the Texas House. The lawsuit brought by multiple Texas voting rights organizations asked for relief from several parts of SB1. But Saturday’s ruling only concerned the state’s attempt to block assistance with absentee ballots.