Texas House Passes Voting Bill as G.O.P. Nears a Hard-Fought Victory

The Republican bill, which would overhaul elections in Texas and introduce a range of new voting rules, must be approved by the State Senate before it can head to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.

AUSTIN — The Texas House of Representatives passed a sweeping election overhaul bill on Friday, clearing a major hurdle in a monthslong push by Republicans to introduce a host of new voting rules. The passage of the bill came a week after a handful of Democrats returned to the State Capitol, effectively ending a 38-day walkout that included the flight of much of the party’s State House delegation to Washington and drew national attention to the fight over voting rights in Texas. It signaled the end stages in the most protracted battle in a nationwide Republican campaign to harden election rules in response to false claims about the integrity of the 2020 presidential contest.