Voter fraud is real; voter ID is nondiscriminatory
Voter fraud in Texas & throughout our country is real, and Greg Abbott believes that we need to enact strong Voter ID laws in Texas to prevent cheating at the ballot box and ensure integrity in the electoral system. While critics argue that Voter ID laws
suppress votes, the US Supreme Court has already approved Voter ID as a legal, nondiscriminatory response to voter fraud.
Voter ID laws do not prevent legal votes. Instead, they ensure legal votes are not discounted by illegal ones. Every state that
has implemented Voter ID laws has seen an increase in minority voter participation and there's no reason not to expect the same in Texas.
The Department of Justice was attempting to stop implementation of voter ID laws including the Texas law. Abbott
filed an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court, arguing that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act undermines sovereignty. On June 25, 2013, the US Supreme Court [agreed], and Abbott announced that Texas would implement its duly passed Voter ID law.
The integrity of our elections is so essential to our democracy. One thing all of us should agree on whether you're a Republican,
Democrat, or Independent, is that we must have trust and confidence in the outcome of our elections. That why Election Integrity will be an emergency item this session.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Texas legislature
, Feb 2, 2021
No "heavy hand of regulation" attracts business to Texas
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told CNBC that the number of companies deciding to move their headquarters to the Lone Star State has accelerated due in part to the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to the pandemic demonstrating the feasibility of more
widespread remote work, Abbott said there are other characteristics attracting companies to Texas. "Cost of business means a lot. No income tax means a lot, but also the freedom to operate without the heavy hand of regulation means a lot," he said.
Source: CNBC analysis of 2022 Texas gubernatorial race
, Dec 11, 2020
Increased penalty for illegal voting & 2020 election audit
Abbott called for lawmakers to increase the penalty for illegal voting--less than a month after he signed a bill that lowers the maximum punishment. The crime of illegal voting was scheduled to go from a second degree felony to a
Class A misdemeanor. "The State of Texas has made tremendous progress in upholding the integrity of our elections," Abbott said. "By increasing penalties for illegal voting, we will send an even clearer message that voter fraud will not be tolerated in
Texas."
Abbott has pushed an audit of the general election of 2020 in four Texas counties--Harris, Collin, Dallas and Tarrant--after former President Donald Trump urged him to add audit legislation to the special session agenda. Local officials said
they were in the dark about the process, which Abbott later claimed had already begun as the audit's guidelines covered some of the standard post-election procedures local officials are already required to undertake.
Congratulated Biden 2020 victory, but supported state audit
Abbott spoke positively about the lawsuit that sought to overturn the results in four states (which was filed by the Texas Attorney General)--saying in December 2020 that the lawsuit "tries to accelerate the process, providing certainty and clarity
about the entire election process."
Abbott congratulated Biden on his inauguration in January 2021. In the fall of 2021, after pressure from Trump, he supported a state audit of the 2020 election in four counties in Texas, a state Trump won.
Source: CNN on 2020 Election Denial in 2022 Texas Governor race
, Sep 9, 2022