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From
KPRC. 2. This is Houston newsmakers with khambrel
newsmakers with khambrel
Marshall.
Well, from this past Texas
legislative session voting
rights was one of the main
items of attention
and contention. >> Republicans pushing for
>> Republicans pushing for
stronger voting laws while
Democrats
pushed back. And one point left
the state to keep a for being
reached to keep legislative
happening that they said would hurt the voting rights of many.
hurt the voting rights of many.
It was a point that did not
work. SB one was ultimately
passed now law, but not so
fast, says Harris County
attorney Christian Menefee and
the Brennan Center for justice
at N Y U they filed a preliminary injunction to keep
preliminary injunction to keep
at least one part of that law
from taking effect.
Harris County attorney
Christian Menefee joins me this
morning to talk about this.
Every. Good morning to you, Sir. Tell me what does this
Sir. Tell me what does this
mean in layman’s terms that
people can understand about why
you’re doing this. >> We found this lawsuit
>> We found this lawsuit
because the state’s law SB one
is really about Republican
leaders in Austin trying to
criminalize voting in election
This law would make it the
label in elections. Officials could face criminal penalties
could face criminal penalties
if they encourage folks to vote
by mail. Now that makes no
sense because we know that
voting by mail is efficient and
safe in their states across this country, including states
this country, including states
run by Democrats and states run
by Republicans and do universal
vote by mail. And that’s in
doubt mail ballot applications
to all registered voters in
state. The only reason that we’re here in the state of
we’re here in the state of
Texas where leaders in Austin
are trying to criminalize this
behavior is to fight a fake
more on widespread voter fraud,
which we know doesn’t exist. So we’re taking them to court
So we’re taking them to court
in order to get a court to stop
him from doing business with
this injunction apply only to
Harris County for the hosts
co state. So it would likely applied to
So it would likely applied to
the entire state because what
we’re asking the court
to rule is this law as it
relates to election officials
is unconstitutional, right. What they’re
What they’re
the what they’re effectively
trying to do is require
elections of vision to be
prohibited from encouraging
folks to vote by mail and why
that’s important. Kimbrel is hand state of Texas. The folks
hand state of Texas. The folks
who are about to vote by mail
or phone. So over the age of 65
and folks who are disabled
right. And so these are folks
that each and every Texan has
likely in their family. And so there’s already a limited
there’s already a limited
number of people who can vote
by mail and it’s important
elections. Officials be able to
inform your 68 year-old
grandmother that hey, in the middle of a pandemic with the
middle of a pandemic with the
omicron variant running while
you have the option to
participate in this process by
mail and you should consider
it. So we’re pushing back on
that. And we’re hoping that the
court will step in and say that this provision is
this provision is
unconstitutional in indicate
the disabled in over 65 Texans
across this entire state.
So some would say that the
courts should intervene and do something that elected
something that elected
officials have passed into law.
Your comment to that.
Well, my response would be
looking round the Board of Education, you know, separate
Education, you know, separate
but equal was the for a very
long time in this country and
to the courts to step in and
say no, there is no such thing
as everybody because every time
there must be equality in this
country. Most of the major
civil rights battles that have
been won in this country have
been won in the court that has
been started in the courts.
And so I think
it’s important or the courts to
to maintain that role of
ensuring that the rights of all
people in our state, in our
country
are protected. Well, you know, as long as Republicans
as long as Republicans
controlled the state
Legislature and they have
for generations other than
getting Democrats elected,
which has not been a
winning strategy.
>> What are your options and
those of other people who
believe restrictive obstacles
are being placed in front of
voters. What else do you have
in your quiver, so
to speak.
>> Well, I say that their team,
a narrow someone is the federal
government passing legislation,
including the for the
people act which would said
uniform voting practices across
the country. But unfortunately
due to a couple of senators
United States Senate. We’ve
seen that there has not been
much movement on that piece of
legislation the second is local
government leaders, especially the lawyers like myself,
the lawyers like myself,
stepping into the court and
getting the courts to set the
rules of the road. Whenever the
state legislators passing laws
that violate federal law that violate the state or federal
violate the state or federal
Constitution and what this is
really about here is making it
a criminalize practice, right.
Criminalizing the actions of
folks who look a certain way in and vote for certain folks
and vote for certain folks
criminalizing them from voting.
Right. If we look at Crystal
Mason, this is a young black
woman in voted and didn’t know
she was ineligible to vote because of a nonviolent crime
because of a nonviolent crime
she had committed years ago and
had already served time for it.
What we saw was from the state
of Texas and from a district attorney. She was prosecuting
attorney. She was prosecuting
fence to 5 years in prison.
For voting even though she
didn’t know she was out or you
can look at Mister Herz Rogers
the way to more than 6 hours
in line to vote at Texas Southern University here in
Southern University here in
Houston and once that story got
national profile, the Texas
attorney general. Then step
been indicted providing when
he was ineligible even though
the crimes that he committed he had already served time for and
had already served time for and
they were committed more than
20 years ago. So again, this is
what I
would say, a war on elections. Officials, a war on folks who
Officials, a war on folks who
look a certain way and things
are way from just a painting in
the electoral process. And it’s
important that our elected
leaders at the local level
stand and stand in the gap and
protect our residents from the side of things. Well, we’ll, of
side of things. Well, we’ll, of
course, keep up with what’s
going on. Harris County
attorney Christian Menefee,