In less than 100 days, Texans will have the opportunity to make their voices heard at the ballot box. Thankfully, in the last Legislative Session, we made it easy to vote and hard to cheat in Texas.
The Texas Legislature did not ignore the monumental importance of free and fair elections in our state. Before the end of the Second Called Session, I proudly co-authored Senate Bill 1, the Election Integrity Protection Act of 2021, which was signed into law by Governor Abbott.
Fair elections are the bedrock of our constitutional republic. Voter access and election integrity ensure public confidence in the legitimacy of election results. Any amount of fraud in an election threatens the stability of our nation, and preventing a single, valid vote from being counted violates our basic constitutional rights. Reform is necessary to ensure that voter fraud does not occur and that all legally cast ballots are counted.
Misinformation is rampant throughout the state and our country. I write to share the facts of the Election Integrity Protection Act, which makes it easy to vote, but hard to cheat. This law protects voters by:
- Creating uniform voting hours,
- Extending voting hours for over 60 counties,
- Ensuring that a person who is standing in line to vote when the polls close during early voting can vote that day,
- Allowing a person to cure a defect in a mail-in ballot application.
Senate Bill 1 protects all legally valid ballots, making it easier to vote while preventing cheaters, ballot harvesters, bad actors, and paid political criminals from committing election fraud. Access to the polls, protecting the process, and prohibiting fraud all ensure the stability of our democracy and bolsters public confidence in our elections and elected officials.
I will continue to fight to protect the integrity of our elections and the votes of every Texan in our state and in Senate District 5.
God Bless Texas,
Charles Schwertner, MD
Senate District 5