“We must hold the line against these desperate attempts to destroy our democracy,' a Democratic lawmaker said.
on Saturday, vowing to call “special session after special session” until the legislature votes.
Some of the Democrats have returned to Texas, and the chamber is only about four members shy of a quorum, the Dallas Morning News reported, meaning all 52 of the rogue lawmakers wouldn’t have to be forcibly returned for voting to proceed.Texas state Reps. Mary Ann Perez, center, and Christina Morales, right, attend a news conference with members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus to discuss voting rights and the 56th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act outside the U.S.
The fight over the legislation has only escalated in recent days. On Friday, 22 House Democrats sued Abbott, Phelan and other Republican leaders, saying the effort to bring them back to the state“It is no surprise that Republican Governor Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan want to arrest their political opponents,” Reps. Trey Martinez Fischer and Gina Hinojosa said after the court ruling, according to the Texas Tribune. “Thankfully, this is still the United States of America.
Texas’s attempts to pass the restrictive bill are part of the GOP’s broader effort to rein in voting following President Joe Biden’s win over Donald Trump in 2020. The efforts rely on unfounded and false claims about widespread voter fraud in the November presidential vote. Democrats nationwide have lambasted the legislation as an opaque attempt to make it harder for communities of color and other traditionally left-leaning voters to cast ballots.