Texas GOP Plans Florida-Style Election Police Force

NBC News reports:

Republican-authored Texas bills, such as HB 549 and SB 220, propose creating a system of state “election marshals,” who would investigate allegations of violations of election and voting laws, and file criminal charges when warranted.  The state House and Senate proposed bills have drawn comparisons to the election police force created earlier this year in Florida by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis announced the first charges stemming from that newly formed squad in August, but some of the charges against individuals have already been dropped and legal experts have said it will be extremely difficult for state officials to obtain any convictions. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, who wrote SB 220, said in an interview his bill was designed as a response to a litany of problems with voting in Harris County.

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Texas Republicans are laying the groundwork to move quickly on a number of new changes to the state’s voting laws, including a proposal to create an election police force like the one Florida enacted before the 2022 midterms. https://t.co/VPvAtAniUA

— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 12, 2022