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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas Republicans on Sunday introduced bills that would make voting more difficult in a state that already has some of the country’s toughest restrictions after hundreds spoke out against the proposals – some waiting to speak for almost 24 hours.
Republicans have made it clear that they intend to push forward a new electoral bill – which would ban 24-hour polling stations, drop boxes and drive-thru voting – this weekend, with a first major vote on the proposals expected this week. This timeline is pushing some Democratic lawmakers to demand a second walkout to again prevent restrictions from moving forward as they did in May when they broke the quorum.
Texas is one of several states with GOP-controlled state houses where Republicans have rushed to enact strict voting laws in response to false claims by former President Donald Trump that the 2020 election has left him been stolen. A second walkout by the Texas Democrats – whom some describe as their best, if not the only option – would mark a high-stakes escalation in their efforts to deny Republicans a top priority and, in turn, put more pressure on President Joe Biden to take action. on voting at the federal level.
Beto O’Rourke, the former Texas Democratic congressman who plans to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022, said he had already offered to help, saying he was prepared to fundraise “literally to feed and house lawmakers” if they took that route.
“Should we stay?” Surely not. For what reason? “Democratic State Representative Jarvis Johnson said.” Nothing is being done for good. There is nothing to be done with the utmost respect for one another.
For weeks, Texas House Democratic leaders have said they are not ruling out another revolt, but also expressed hope to weaken the bill during the 30-day special session. Johnson, however, believes many of his colleagues are ready to deny Republicans a quorum for the second time, although most continue to speak with caution.
“You might know my next move, but you can’t stop it. You never knew when Mike Tyson was going to throw the uppercut, but you knew he was going to throw it, ”he said.
Another walkout might just save more time: Abbott could continue to call more 30-day special sessions until the voting measures are passed. The paychecks of nearly 2,000 Capitol Hill workers could also be at stake, as Abbott vetoed funding for the legislative branch in the wake of the Democrats’ late-night walkout. He signaled he would restore that funding this summer – if lawmakers are there to put a bill on his desk.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the elected chief of the governing body for the county where Houston is located, said Abbott was “extorting” lawmakers to pass the legislation. Hidalgo said she would support Democratic lawmakers again breaking the quorum to block passage of the bill.
“It is very important for me to recognize that the right to vote must be above politics,” Hidalgo said. “We can do it with all kinds of problems, but no vote, no democracy.”
Nacal Tate, who volunteers with the NAACP chapter in Collin County in the Dallas area, said she woke up at 4 a.m. on Saturday to drive several hours to Austin to testify against the restrictions proposed votes. Tate said it meant missing his little niece’s birthday party, but it was worth it. Some of the provisions, if they become law, would affect seniors, like herself, and others who receive help at the ballot box because of the proposed penalties for volunteer voters who make a mistake.
“It’s a removal of our constitutional rights,” Tate said.
The last time Texas Democrats left the state to deny a quorum was in 2003, when they roamed Oklahoma and New Mexico in an attempt to block new GOP-drawn voting cards. They were gone for more than a month, but eventually the Republicans adopted a new redistribution plan.
The versions of the re-launched vote changes adopted by a House panel on Sunday – at 7:30 a.m., nearly 24 hours after debate began – and by a Senate committee later in the afternoon no longer include two of the most controversial provisions: banning Sunday morning voting, when many black worshipers go to the polls, and language that would have made it easier for a judge to overturn the election.
Hundreds of opponents filled overflow rooms at the Capitol and waited hours to testify. It is the highest turnout against a bill this year in Texas, where COVID-19 concerns have cooled crowds.
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Acacia Coronado is a member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative body. Report for America is a national, non-profit service program that places reporters in local newsrooms to cover undercover issues.
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