Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said that the bill would be added to a special session agenda.
Senate Bill 7, known as the Election Integrity Protection Act, passed the state Senate along party lines early Sunday morning after an all-night debate. The bill came up in the state House Sunday evening for final approval. But after hours of debate and delaying tactics, the chamber adjourned after Democratic lawmakers left in protest, breaking quorum and ending debate. At least 100 lawmakers must be present to conduct business.
The sweeping bill would ban drive-thru voting, limit voting hours, make it more difficult to cast mail ballots and empower partisan poll watchers. The final version of S.B. 7 was the result of a bicameral group of mostly Republican lawmakers reconciling proposals previously passed by both chambers. Elements were hashed out behind closed doors, and Democrats have argued they were left largely in the dark as last-minute changes and entirely new provisions were pushed through.
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