Most of the Democrats in the Texas House branch of the legislature left Austin for Washington, D.C., where they landed Monday night.
The Democrats left to deny the House a quorum in an effort to keep the Republican’s bid to pass legislation dealing with voting requirements in the state.
Democrats say the legislation would restrict voting, particularly among minorities, while Republicans say their bills in both the senate and the House would protect the ballot box from fraud.
In the battle of political war of words, the right to vote hangs in the balance.
“Today, (July 12) by breaking quorum to block (Gov. Gregg) Abbott’s attacks on voters, Texas Democrats are making history. After Abbott dragged lawmakers back to the Capitol for his suppression session, Democrats are fighting back with everything we’ve got. We will not stand by and watch Republicans slash our right to vote, silence the voices of Texans of color, and destroy our democracy—all to preserve their own power. Our lawmakers have refused to be complicit in Republicans’ destructive attacks— and they’re doing what Texans need them to do: hold the line so that not one more anti-voter law can be passed in Texas,” said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa in a news release.
The governor had his take on the situation.sion to break a quorum of the Texas Legislature and abandon the Texas State Capitol inflicts harm on the very Texans who elected them to serve. As they fly across the country on cushy private planes, they leave undone issues that can help their districts and our state,” the governor said in a news release.
He mention the issues of property tax relief, funding to support sheriffs and law enforcement in high crime areas, funding for children in foster care and funding for retired teachers, but neglected to mention the reason Democrats gave for the walk out.
“The Democrats must put aside partisan political games and get back to the job they were elected to do. Their constituents must not be denied these important resources simply because their elected representative refused to show up to work,” Abbott said.
Hinojosa added, “There’s no democracy without the right to vote. Once again, Democrats are standing strong and united to defend the right of every eligible Texas voter to make their voice heard. I’m incredibly proud of our Texas Democratic lawmakers, who continue to fight relentlessly on behalf of Texans, voters, and our democracy.”
“SB 1 and HB 3 would prevent many of us from making our voices heard. Given the challenges to voting in several states including Texas, the League of Women Voters of Texas believes that the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act are necessary to preserve an election system that is free, fair, and accessible to all,” said Grace Chimene, president, League of Women Voters of Texas. “Yet again, these bills are intended to make voting more complicated and create more potential pitfalls that would deny the freedom to vote.”
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