The Rant: Should seeking a vote by mail be a crime? In Texas, it could be for some.

I’m trying a ‘lil experiment this week — a Rant, via the audio function here at our Substack HQ.

I wrestled with how to go about this. One topic for 10 minutes? 3 topics over 30? Is 10 minutes too short, 30 too long? I still don’t know, but now you’re here to tell me.

I ended up settling on a single topic: A court case in Texas over a provision of a new voting law there that opens up public officials to potential prosecution if they solicit people to vote by mail.

That’s right: Simply encouraging people to vote by mail could send a local election official to jail. That’s the heart of the case, but also emblematic of the voting rights battles brewing all over the country. If you’d like to read the text of the Texas’ legislation (S.B. 1) yourself, click HERE. (You’ll find the relevant provision on solicitation on Page 19.)

A provision in Texas voting law, passed last fall.

I chose to zone in on this case (Longoria vs. Paxton) because Texas kicks off our 2022 election season, with early voting beginning Monday for their March 1 primaries. This audio RANT is a raw 21 minutes, unedited, imperfect; mostly stream-of-conscious, but hopefully genuine and informed.

Let me know whatcha think.

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