Hans von Spakovsky: Texas Democrats' outrageous claims about election reforms have no connection to reality

Texas Democrats held a press conference on Friday in Alexandria, Va., across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital, to continue their lies about the election reforms being proposed in the special session of the Texas legislature.

Two of the speakers leading the press conference were Rep. Ron Reynolds and Rep. Nicole Collier, the vice chairman and chairwoman, respectively, of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. Reynolds continued the false and historically embarrassing claim that the proposed reforms, such as extending the state’s voter ID requirement for in-person voting to absentee ballots, are "Jim Crow 2.0" and "Jim Crow revisited."  In reality, the ID requirement is easy and simple to meet and is overwhelmingly supported by all voters, including Black voters. He also raged at the proposal to strengthen the ability of poll watchers to effectively observe everything going on in a polling place (except the actual casting of a ballot by a voter). He claimed this would allow "partisan" poll watchers like the "Proud Boys" and those who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6 to supposedly "intimidate voters and keep them from voting."