Texas Democrats to spotlight national voting rights with week of events

Texas Democrats who fled the state last week to block voting restrictions are planning a week of events with national advocates and union leaders, election officials and other Democrats as they seek to maintain the pressure on Congress to pass federal voting legislation.

Lawmakers will participate in a five-day conference starting Monday that will bring together guest speakers and other lawmakers to work with the Texas coalition. Service Employees International Union Texas and Mi Familia Vota, a national civic engagement group, are hosting the event.

Guest speakers include union leader Dolores Huerta, four state secretaries from across the country and lawmakers from other states where Republicans have advanced voting restrictions.

Organizers said the event will be educational for attendees, while stressing the need for Congress to pass federal voting legislation, including the For the People Act, the Democrats’ Election Redesign Bill. that Republicans have so far blocked with filibuster rules that prevent legislation from passing. without 60 votes in the Senate.

“Once there is a little sunshine on this issue, I think there is no one in America who would not dispute that voting rights are more important than Senate rules,” said the State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, a Democrat from San Antonio.

After three of the Texas lawmakers in Washington tested positive for Covid-19, the event was adapted to be more virtual; State Democrats will participate as a group from an event space in their hotel while the majority of speakers will join virtually.

“We didn’t want to wait or postpone the conference given everything that’s going on right now. All eyes are on this issue because of what state lawmakers have done, ”said SEIU Texas President Elsa Caballero. “The climate is perfect for us to keep putting that extra light and pressure to do something. “

More than 50 Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives flew from Austin to Washington last Monday to break the quorum and prevent voting restrictions from being passed by the state’s Republican majority. To prevent the quorum from being re-established, at least 51 House members will have to remain out of state until the expiration of the special legislative session on August 7, or they can be arrested and brought back to the Capitol. State.

Huerta will speak on Monday and defenders including Cliff Albright of the Voters Matter Fund will address the group on Tuesday. Texas lawmakers will meet with lawmakers from Colorado and Nevada on Wednesday on election administration and best practices. Denver County Clerk Paul López will speak to the city’s popular mail-order system.

Thursday will feature top election officials from four states: Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, and Secretary of State for ‘State of Connecticut, Denise Merrill.

On Friday, the group will connect with Democratic lawmakers in Arizona, Florida and Georgia, where Republicans were able to enact significant new restrictions.

“With this conference, we will help prepare our suffrage champions for the upcoming fight,” said Héctor Sánchez Barba, CEO of Mi Familia Vota, in a statement. “We will show them that they are not the only ones defending our democracy and fighting for all of us.