The Texas GOP-controlled Legislature moved closer to passing several voting bills that prompted Democrat legislators in May to stage a walkout. During a special legislative session called by Gov. Greg Abbott, Republicans over the weekend worked quickly to advance several voting bills during oversight hearings. On July 11, a Texas state House committee voted to advance a bill that would bring back a number of voting integrity-related proposals that didn’t pass during the previous session, which ended May 30. Later that day, Senate lawmakers advanced their version of the voting legislation in a committee vote. State Sen. Bryan Hughes, the Republican sponsor of one of the bills, said that debate over the measure is now “bitterly partisan” but argued that “most of the security measures in Senate Bill 1 [the voting measure] are not aimed at individual voters.” “By and large, individual voters are trying to vote. They’re trying to …