In San Antonio, Texas, local residents and supporters gathered outside the federal courthouse on October 2, 2023, holding signs with capital letters and chanting enthusiastically. While the trial was taking place inside the courthouse, their calls for voting rights echoed throughout the city. Candace Wicks, a former teacher who traveled 300 miles from Dallas to show her support, told the growing crowd her story in a voice that was a mix of frustration and determination. Wicks, a native of Texas who has a disability, has been unwavering in her commitment to voting her whole life, but since the state’s restrictive voting law SB1 was passed in 2021, she has faced significant barriers to participating in the electoral process.
During last year’s midterm elections, Wicks encountered numerous obstacles while trying to exercise her right to vote. As an amputee of a foot and nine fingers, and unable to sign consistently, Wicks was denied a ballot due to the new signature verification process mandated by SB 1. Wicks also cited the law’s curbside voting restrictions and additional restrictive voter assistance requirements as disadvantageous to voters with disabilities.
“People with disabilities already face so many barriers and discrimination in their daily lives,” Wicks said in her speech. “The right to vote should not be added to that list. Our democracy is stronger when all of our people are represented.”
Wicks is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, a historically black service-based sorority that is co-plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the voter suppression law. The five-lawsuit lawsuit, Lupe v. Abbott, which includes Houston Area Urban League v. Abbott, alleges that SB1 is discriminatory and imposes unfair barriers to electoral participation, particularly for voters of color and those with disabilities.