The Department of Justice announced Thursday it filed a lawsuit against Texas and its secretary of state over parts of an election reform bill Gov. Greg Abbott signed into state law in September. The complaint (pdf) alleges that the measures, also referred to as Texas Senate Bill 1, violate Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act by “improperly restricting” assistance to voters with a disability or are unable to read or write in the polling booth, the DOJ announced. Specifically, people assisting the voters who need help to fill out their ballot must, under SB1, take a longer revised oath that has six new or revised requirements, including the removal of previous language about answering voters’ questions. In the complaint, the DOJ alleges that by requiring the revised oath, the measure “prohibits assistors from answering a voter’s questions, explaining the voting process, paraphrasing complex language, and providing other forms of voting assistance …