CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Interview with Colin Allred

Interview

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REP. COLIN ALLRED (D-TX): Well, it doesn't look like it, Erin. We'll probably have to challenge these laws in court and I think there will be ample grounds for challenging. I mean, you mentioned some of the things that are in these bills.

It's also just opening up the use of poll watchers for intimidation that I think is really one of the most egregious aspects of this. So, you mentioned allowing poll watchers to film voters in polling places. You also can't throw the poll watchers out under these laws.

[19:50:02]

And we've already seen some officials saying that they need to go into minority neighborhoods, to have the courage to go into those neighborhoods to, quote, stop the fraud that's occurring there. So we know they're planning on practicing intimidation. We can't allow that to happen.

BURNETT: The poll watching thing is really, really hard to comprehend here.

It also, as I said, you know, you got restrictions from early voting hours. You can't just send unsolicited mail-in ballots. There's a lot of things in there.

There are some things, though, that seem, at the face, to make a lot of sense -- requiring more counties to provide additional hours of early voting in many counties, requiring all counties use voting machines that produced an auditable paper record of ballots, creating an online tool allowing voters to track their absentee or mail-in ballot, which is done in 44 states and Texas would add to that list.

I mean, do you think those are all good things? I mean, do you concede there is some good in the bill?

ALLRED: This is a common practice among Texas Republicans to try and combine some things that may be necessary, clearly policies that are intended to make it harder to vote and then to wrap it all up and say it is about the integrity of our elections, and that's clearly not what's happening here.

This isn't about the national effort that we are seeing across the country to support the big lie really and to try and make it harder to vote and support Donald Trump's claims that the election was stolen. We had a successful election in Texas in 2020.

Over million 11 million Texans voted. That was record turnout for us. And you know, guess what? Republicans still won and I wish they would be confident in that and allow Texans to cast their ballots and just see where the chips fall.

BURNETT: So, Texas Democratic lawmakers have written a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland saying Texas House Republicans have violated rules by pushing these bills to the legislature without adequate debate. The letter says, quote: We ask that you review the facts, and if it's deemed appropriate, the Civil Rights Division monitor the proceedings in the House Elections Committee and Texas House for the remainder of session.

So, I ask you this because, you know, you mentioned that this -- there probably is nothing you could do legislatively, that this would have to go to the legal route. But given your background as a voting rights lawyer, do you think the Justice Department should get involved in this?

ALLRED: Well, I think they're going to have to take a good look at it. And I think that lawsuits take time, and that's the problem we've seen for decades here in Texas, with these restrictions that have been passed, is that it takes time, and it has to go through the appeals process. We have a circuit that's been pretty hostile to voting here, so even if you get a good ruling at the district court level, you never know what's going to happen.

You know, Erin, this is why we need to have a national standard around elections and why I've been such a big advocate for HR-1, the For the People Act, trying to set national standards for vote by mail, for early voting, also to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to fix what happened to the Voting Rights Act at the Supreme Court when they cut down part of it.

We need to have national standards so that our democracy isn't radically different from one state to another. What's happening in Texas, what's happening in Georgia is unacceptable in a democracy like ours.

BURNETT: All right. Well, Congressman, I really appreciate your time. And, by the way, congratulations on the arrival of your little 5-week- old.

Our viewers should know, you told me, when am I hear your kids, and I was kind of hoping we would, but all has been quiet on the Allred front.

ALLRED: This time.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you so much. I appreciate your time.

ALLRED: Thanks, Erin.

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