HOW ELSE CAN A PARTY FOR ONLY OLD WHITE MEN WIN?

 In the final days of the legislative session, Texas lawmakers are advancing a sweeping elections bill that would limit early voting hours, empower partisan poll watchers and put new criminal penalties on voting officials and assistants.

The rollout of a final agreement, hashed out behind closed doors, was chaotic. Democrats meant to be included in negotiations said they were largely locked out of the final decision making, and lawmakers expressed confusion over which draft of the bill was the final version.

"On the largest voting reform bill in the last 50 years, Democrats were cut out halfway through the process," Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, told The Dallas Morning News. "We were guaranteed a seat at the table by the bill author. What we didn't know is we were only allowed to sit after everyone else had already eaten."

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