Governor Greg Abbott (R) called on state lawmakers to block a new voter registration provision scheduled to take effect September 1, which would have allowed voters to update their addresses and immediately cast ballots in their new precincts if they moved within the same county.
The measure, Senate Bill 2217, passed earlier this year with bipartisan support, including backing from Rep. Matt Shaheen (R), who chairs the House Committee on Elections. His amendment allowed voters to make same-day address updates and vote based on their current residence, a change seen by many as a small step toward voter accessibility.
Texas still does not permit full same-day registration for new voters, unlike 23 other states, but SB 2217 would have relaxed address update rules in time for the 2025 elections.
Within hours of Abbott’s announcement, Rep. Briscoe Cain (R), introduced new legislation that would prevent SB 2217 from going into effect. His bill would reinstate the current practice. Voters may update their addresses at the polls, but the change takes 30 days to process.
As a result, voters would cast ballots tied to their old precincts, not their new ones.
Abbott’s move signals a broader push among some Texas Republicans to tighten voting rules ahead of the next election cycle, even when those rules had received cross-party support.
Critics say this reversal could confuse voters and make it harder for people who move frequently, such as students or low-income residents, to vote accurately in local elections.
Shaheen and other lawmakers who backed the amendment have not yet responded publicly to the governor’s request or Cain’s counter-bill.
