Federal judges rule against provisions of GOP-backed voting laws in Georgia and Texas

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI, KATE BRUMBACK and ACACIA CORONADO
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Federal judges in Georgia and Texas are putting on hold provisions of two controversial laws passed as part of a GOP push to tighten voting regulations. In Texas, a federal judge found the state’s new mail ballot requirement that voters provide the same identification number they used when they registered to vote violates the Civil Rights Act. In Georgia, a federal judge on Friday put on hold provisions of that state’s law barring the provision of food and water to voters waiting in line. Both laws were passed in 2021 as part of a push by Republicans to tighten voting laws in response to former President Donald Trump’s lies about election fraud.