ATLANTA — On the heels of the MLB’s decision to pull the All-Star Game from Georgia following the passage of the anti-democratic voter suppression legislation SB 202, a new study published in Forbes confirms that “the Texas economy could take a massive hit if the state enacts new voting restrictions,” further evidence that the GOP’s disastrous anti-voter agenda has a real cost to working families.
The study, which was conducted by a Texas-based research firm, shows that the passage of Texas’ voter suppression bill HB 6 could be devastating for the state, “potentially costing the state’s economy tens of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs.” Retail losses alone could lead to the state “losing more than 50,000 jobs from drops in tourism and economic development” on top of missing “$16.7 billion in annual gross product by 2025” as a result of major events relocating elsewhere.
After the passage of SB 202 in Georgia, the AJC warned that “there may be a political and economic price to be paid for Georgia lawmakers’ contemptuous stance toward making voting reasonably accessible to all who are legally able to do so” — a warning borne out by calls for boycotts and the loss of the MLB All-Star Game as a result of Republicans’ reckless actions.
Read more from Forbes on what’s at state for Texas and other states on voting rights:
Forbes: Texas Could Lose Billions If Voting Restrictions Become Law, Study Finds
April 8, 2021
By Nicholas Reimann
The Texas economy could take a massive hit if the state enacts new voting restrictions—potentially costing the state’s economy tens of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs—according to a study from the Texas-based economic research firm the Perryman Group, as the Texas legislature Thursday moved one step closer to making the proposals.
The potential loss of conventions, major sporting events and tourism could cost the state $16.7 billion in annual gross product by 2025, and nearly 150,000 jobs, according to the study.
Internal factors, like decreased business activity and lower wages in the state, could lead to the loss of $14.7 billion in household purchasing power by 2025, according to the Perryman Group.
Retail trade would take the biggest hit, according to the study, losing more than 50,000 jobs from drops in tourism and economic development alone.
The Texas legislature is considering two omnibus bills to enact new voting restrictions, which include proposals making it harder to vote by mail, encating new rules on where polling places can be located in the most populous counties and outlawing drive-through voting—a popular option for the 2020 presidential election.
“If you strip away all of the emotion and all of the politics and say ‘this is just what happens in the economy,’ that is what we’re analyzing,” Dr. Ray Perryman said in an interview with Forbes.