Biden administration sues Texas over new voting restrictions

FILE - In this June 8, 2021, file photo, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a news conference in Austin, Texas. The Biden administration on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021 sued Texas over new voting rules that outlasted a summer of dramatic protests by Democrats, who face fading hopes of overhauling the nation's election laws in response to a wave of restrictive new measures in Republican-led states. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Biden administration is suing Texas over new voting rules that outlasted a summer of dramatic protests by Democrats.

The lawsuit filed Thursday comes as the party faces dimming hopes of overhauling the nation’s election laws in response to a wave of new restrictions in Republican-led states.

The Justice Department says new restrictions surrounding mail-in voting requirements and voter assistance violate federal civil rights protections.

Republicans in Texas have defended the changes as voter safeguards.

Other opponents of the law have already sued Texas, saying the restrictions set out to disenfranchise minorities and other Democratic-leaning voters.

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