DALLAS — Tuesday is the deadline for Texans to register to vote in the 2022 midterm election with Election Day just weeks away.
“We believe the turnout for this election is going to be robust, so we are planning accordingly,” said Dallas County Election Administrator Michael Scarpello.
Since the 2020 election, Texas has passed major voting changes that supporters and Republicans say add integrity. Critics, including Democrats and voting rights groups, claim the changes create suppression.
In Houston this weekend, Governor Greg Abbott touted the new election law that Democrat lawmakers fled the state to try to block last year.
“We knew they were going to come back,” Abbott said. “When they came back, we passed an even tougher election integrity bill.”
One of the biggest changes is allowing partisan poll watchers to move freely at locations and see and hear activity. Critics worry, though, it could lead to intimidation with watchers now allowed to be much closer to voters.
“I think that when SB1 was initially passed, there were a lot of concerns, but we’ve found in the last several elections is that the poll watchers are just there to do their jobs,” said Scarpello.
The law also bans 24-hour voting and drive-thru voting, which were set up to help working class voters or younger voters in Harris County during the pandemic. The new law also requires counties to add live cameras inside count facilities
“People are suspicious of the process and so what we’ve done is to try to be as transparent as possible,” said Scarpello.
Texas has more candidates who support the false claim that Donald Trump won the 2020 election than any other state, according to reporting from 538.
Droboxes for mail-in ballots are banned, and there are new restrictions on registering to vote.
Dallas County plans to have a drive-thru voter registration event Tuesday from 7 a.m. to midnight next to its main office.
New laws will be tested by increased tension and increased voters.
“If issues happen, we will react accordingly,” said Scarpello.
Editor's Note: This article originally stated that Collin County would be open until midnight to register voters. A representative has since confirmed that they will close at 5 p.m.