Texas Law Forces Voting Groups to Turn Away Blind Voters

Eustorgia Santos de Torres drove seven minutes to San Juan last month to help her blind husband fill out a mail ballot. Workers at La Unión del Pueblo Entero, a local nonprofit, told the couple to leave. The organization could not have paid staff near the ballot while it was being marked.

Santos de Torres, 67, retired after years working as a healthcare aide and house cleaner. She speaks mainly Spanish and cares for her husband, Nemorio, who is blind from diabetes. The ballot arrived in English with small print. She asked the nonprofit for assistance, but they had to turn them away because of state law.

In 2021, the Texas Legislature passed SB1. The law made it a felony for anyone to receive compensation for helping a voter fill out a ballot. Violations carry up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. This ban applies to paid nonprofit staff. It also covers common practices like giving volunteers gas money or stipends.

Tania Chavez Camacho, executive director of LUPE, said the group helps about 30,000 people a year. Many are older or have disabilities and need help with mail ballots. LUPE used to send workers out to help voters directly. Now, if a voter pulls out a ballot at a town hall, paid employees must step away. Volunteers are told to walk away if asked for help during door-to-door canvassing.

"We literally have to turn them away," Chavez Camacho said. Staff have undergone three years of training to adjust to the new rules. Volunteers now must sign oaths confirming the voter is qualified for help and that they are not being paid. They fear any mistake could lead to legal trouble.

Zachary Dolling, litigation director at the Texas Civil Rights Project, noted that courts interpret "compensation" broadly. It can include items like dinner, T-shirts, pens, or college credit. This makes it difficult for organizations to know if they are breaking the law. LUPE now holds group sessions using screen projectors to show how to fill out forms, but this does not help voters who cannot read.

Lydia Nunez Landry, statewide coordinator for REV UP Texas, said the law creates a difficult environment for voters with disabilities. She uses a power wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy. "The state has made voting just so impossible and so arduous for people, and now people are also terrified of helping us," she said.