Abbott works to undo voter registration bill he signed two months ago

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — When Gov. Greg Abbott added “legislation to prohibit same day voter registration in Texas,” to the second special session call on Monday evening, even Austin insiders were confused.

“Don’t be fooled,” State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, wrote. “There is no same-day voter registration in Texas.”

As of this week, Eckhardt is correct. Texans can register to vote at any time, but must be registered at least 30 days before an election to be eligible to vote in it. However, that’s about to change — in limited circumstances.

How same day registration got ‘snuck into’ a bill

On Tuesday morning, Abbott responded to a clip from “The Chris Salcedo Show” talking about an amendment added by State Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano, to Senate Bill 2217.

“I added an agenda item to the special session to END this same day voter registration that was snuck into a bill in the regular session,” Abbott wrote. “We will not open the door to potential election fraud.”

The amendment in question doesn’t completely open up same day voter registration, but rather allows people who are already registered to change their address the day of an election, as long as they’re moving within the same county. The amendment passed with overwhelming support, with 138 votes in favor and none in opposition.

Shaheen also fully explained the amendment on the House floor, unlike previous amendments which have been snuck in under the guise of being insignificant changes.

“Could you walk us through the amendment again, please?” asked State Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Hays County, of Shaheen on May 28.

“Rows 28 and 29 are the meat of the amendment,” Shaheen said. “This is where your voter registration takes effect immediately upon receipt of notice. So that’s where, if you change your address, if you’re in the same county, the ballot you’re going to get reflects your new address—reflects your current address.”

The bill was later signed by Abbott on June 20, and goes into effect on Sept. 1.

After the announcement of Abbott’s special session item, State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, posted “I filed House Bill 296 this morning to prohibit same-day voter registration in Texas.” Cain—who initially voted for Shaheen’s amendment—announced his campaign for U.S. Congress after the Texas legislature passed President Donald Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Map.’

Cain’s bill would remove the provision added by the Shaheen amendment, but would allow voters to vote where they previously registered as long as they live in the same county and:

• Live in the same political subdivision (i.e. city, school district) served by the authority ordering the election OR
• Live in the territory covered by the election if the election is less than countywide.