Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.
The San Antonio City Council is moving discussions regarding a voting commission to a later date.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has said proposed laws like the SAVE Act, which would disproportionately impact married women and those that don’t have access to documents like a Passport or birth certificate, and President Trump’s executive order that calls for a state registrar of voters, establishes the need for the commission.
“These are very challenging things for us to grapple with as a country, which I think really calls upon us at the local level to identify ways in which we can hear and protect our community and ensure they’re heard at the ballot box,” said Mayor Jones.
District 3 Councilwoman Phyliss Viagran said there needs to be some clarity on the timeframe of the commission and its appointees.
“I think if we can tighten that up, so that we’re all fully aware of what the role of these appointees is going to be, we can move forward on what you’ve asked us to do in terms of really finding a San Antonio solution to how we get these voters to come out,” said Viagran.
District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte agreed with Viagran that defining the scope of the plan to encourage voting is important, but he didn’t hold back his thoughts on the commission’s timeline.
“Getting more people to vote in San Antonio, extremely important, I’m all for it,” said Whyte. “I also absolutely hate boards and commissions that are either redundant or don’t really serve a relevant purpose anymore.”
Whyte also challenged member appointments. The ordinance calls for three appointments to be made by the mayor, and one appointee from each council member. Those appointees are required to maintain expertise in voting rights, registration, and participation.
A report from the commission to include at least five recommendations to increase voter participation at the local level is due for submission to the mayor and city council no later than July 4th. The eventual report will be made available on the City of San Antonio website.
City Council will reschedule their discussions to approve the voting commission for either later this month, or sometime in May.
