Texas House Democrats preparing to flee the state in move that could block voting restrictions bill

[LetMyPeopleVote]

This makes me proud to be a Texas Democrat

Link to tweet

Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives plan to leave the state and fly to Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon, according to sources with knowledge of the plan, in a bid to again deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass new voting restrictions with 27 days left in a special legislative session called largely for that purpose.

Upping the ante in both the legislative fight at home and the national debate over voting rights, most House Democrats are expected to board a flight out of Austin headed for the U.S. capital without a set return date. They’ll need at least 51 of the 67 Democratic representatives to flee for their plan to work. The House is set to reconvene Tuesday morning, but the absent Democrats could mean there will not be enough members present to conduct business under House rules.

With the national political spotlight on Texas’ efforts to further restrict voting, the Democratic exodus offers them a platform to continue pleading with Congress to act on restoring federal protections for voters of color. In Texas, the decamping will mark a more aggressive stance by Democrats to block Republican legislation further tightening the state’s voting rules as the GOP works against thinning statewide margins of victory

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[UTUSN]

1. K&R

[Me.]

2. Preparing?

THey should've gotten the hell out last night? And yes why are they signaling this? Are they going tell all of us where they are?

cross-post

[TheRealNorth]

8. Maybe someone on the right is trying to pre-empt the possibility.

Now the media is going to inundate the Democrats with questions and that is going to be the focus of media coverage, and not the shifty bills.

[blogslug]

10. Pretty sure they're in the air right now

Link to tweet

Cameron Joseph
@cam_joseph

Confirmed. Texas Dem legislative source tells me they're at the Austin airport right now, planning to fly to DC.

I wouldn't put it past Abbott to send goons to arrest them but I think it may be too late for that.

[tritsofme]

3. Maybe they should issued their press release after they were wheels up?

Seems odd.

[walkingman]

4. I am proud to be a Democrat but terribly ashamed of Texas. Not sure how

we devolved into such mean-spirited racist bunch of blowhards.

[Walleye]

5. Did they restore the funding? If they're not getting paid they shouldn't go to work

[LeftInTX]

9. They're getting paid through September

I read the House can just change quorum rules.....Current quorum is 2/3..

Hard to do at the 11th Hour on May 30th and even the GOP speaker himself had some serious concerns about the Conference Committee rewrite. But this is a different bill and it is not as bad as the other bill.

[cojoel]

6. They could consult with Ted Cruz about places to stay in Cancun

But they are headed to DC which perhaps will be more productive

[UTUSN]

7. Isn't Carnival CRUZ joining RUBIO as freedom fighters in Cuba?!1 -oh wait...