in texas polls open tomorrow for the first primary races
of the 2022 election cycle. The governor and attorne
general are key races on the ballot. Seven Republican
challengers hope to oust incumbent Governor, Greg
Abbott, who's up for a third term democrats have
attacked his handling of last year's collapse of the
state's power grid during a deep freeze. The states
tightened abortion restrictions what critics say is
in order threatening transgender Children and their
parents. The primary is the first election held under
under the state's new election laws. But the rollout of
new rules for this primary means thousands of mail
ballot applications and actual ballots are being
rejected. Congressional correspondent Nathaniel Reed
spoke with texas voters and advocates about the
challenges they faced To be rejected for anything. It's
a little depressing and there's a little sting you've
been notice of rejected application for the past seven
years. Jim has cast his vote in austin texas by Mail
ballot an option available to registered voters over
age 65. But this year, his application for a ballot
looked a bit different. It included this box requiring
voters to list either their driver's license or last
four of their Social Security number. Jim chose to
enter his social but on the day before the deadline to
register for a vote by mail in the 2022 primaries, he
received a form letter with print so small he needed
reading glasses. There is a long list In tiny print of
16 regulations that must be met. His application of
vote by mail rejected a day before the deadline since
the board of elections had his driver's license number
on file and therefore would not accept his Social
Security number for the first time in nearly a decade.
Jim would vote in person. The new regulation, just one
part of texas is SB one a newly implemented sweepin
election integrity law passed by the Republican
majority state legislature and signed by the state's
Republican governor. The bill empowers partisan poll
watchers and bands, ballot drop boxes drive through
voting And 24 hour poll sites. It also places new
restrictions on vote by mail, including adding an id
requirement. After the laws started to take effect, we
had a ton of people who just didn't know what parts
happened in which parts didn't. The league of women
voters is one of many organizations in texas that hel
eligible voters register. They the new law had an
immediate impact. If people think that they're going to
be stopped from doing something they're trying to do or
they're going to get in trouble for doing it. If they
succeed, they're not going to want to do it. And the
more obstacles you put in their way, the more likely
they are to give up the new measures and ballot acc
are front of mind for voters in liberal Travis County
home to austin here, 71% of voters cast ballots for joe
biden in 2020. I think it's okay with having one or two
verifications, but Also limiting hours and limiting
access and having building places that aren't conducive
to everybody. It should be easier and not harder. As a
black woman in America, it is sort of foundational um
that this country has not provided equitable access t
voting nearly 50 miles west in rural Blanco County
perspective on the state's latest voting changes is
different. 73% voted for Donald Trump here in 2020.
There's definitely room for fraud in different places I
think less than Texas and maybe some other places at
the heart of Blanco County is Johnson City. The Boyhood
home of late President Lyndon Baines Johnson. The Texa
Democrats shepherded through and signed the Voting
Rights Act of 1965 which for nearly five decades
prevented states from enacting discriminatory laws
targeting minority voters. Some voters here claim there
is nothing discriminatory about the new law, There's no
election integrity with loose voting laws. There are no
laws in the state of texas that disenfranchises a
voter. There are no laws in the state of texas that
prevents any legal individual from voting back in
Austin. We had gotten to really like voting at home by
mail and sending it in and plenty of time and and being
safe away from covid and so forth. And we lost that jim
says despite his rejected application to vote by mail.
The new regulations leave him undeterred. Certainly
we'll try again will um gore everything with a fine
tooth comb Nathaniel reed Newsy austin texas.