July 19, 2021

Texas State Legislators Flee the State to Preserve Voting Rights

Fifty-one of the 67 Democrats in Texas’ state legislature fled the state on Monday to deny the Republican-controlled body the quorum needed to pass a bill that would make it harder for seniors and minority voters to exercise their right to vote. Two flights were chartered from an airport in Austin to Washington, D.C., allowing the Texas legislators to call attention to the need for Congress to pass legislation to ensure voting rights for all eligible Americans.

The Texas Alliance has been at the forefront of the opposition to new restrictive voting laws in their state. Last weekend Texas Alliance member Jan Lance, president of the Austin chapter, stood in line and waited for 20 hours to testify against the bill, finally delivering her statement at 4:00 a.m. Sunday.

On Tuesday President Biden went to the U.S. Constitution Center in Philadelphia and said that the nation’s democracy is at risk. Biden sharply criticized former President Trump and other Republicans for failing to acknowledge the result of the past election and continuing to spread lies and conspiracy theories.

“The Texas legislators who came to Washington are heroes who are sounding the alarm,” said Alliance Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Peters, Jr. “We urge the Senate to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, H.R. 4, as an important step in protecting the right to vote.”