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I joined Texas Democrats' walkout in 2003. Here's why I'm staying in Austin this time.
Washington Post More than 50 Texas state legislators, all Democrats, have taken flight from the state in an effort to block legislation that, in our party’s view, would suppress the votes of our constituents. This is an unusual action in Texas history — but by no means an unprecedented one.
In 2003, with the prospect of a gerrymandered congressional map passing the legislature, 10 of my senate colleagues and I ventured to New Mexico to gain leverage in redistricting negotiations. Earlier that year, Democrats in the Texas House used a similar strategy to run out the clock on the regular legislative session by waiting it out in Oklahoma.
Both tactics were a response to redistricting maps that we felt would put our party at an unfair disadvantage in the state’s congressional delegation. In the end, however, our efforts were unsuccessful. With the quorum break dragging on longer than expected, and a razor-thin margin keeping our effort alive, it took the return of only one senator to doom our effort. We had to go back to Austin to acquiesce to the maps on the table, which led to six Democratic congressmen losing their seats, just as we had feared.
Now, Democrats in the Texas House are again attempting to block legislation that threatens to diminish our constituents’ voices, this time in the form of a voting-reform proposal known as Senate Bill 1. The circumstances they face are different: As opposed to the one-vote margin that determined the outcome of our 2003 quorum break, the Texas House today requires 17 Democrats to consider a bill. As long as fewer than that number remain in Austin, Senate Bill 1 will not pass. The Democratic legislators waiting in Washington show every sign of being able to run out the clock on this bill. This is a consequence of recent elections, during which Democrats have made gains in both chambers of the Texas legislature.
Eddie Lucio Jr., a Democrat from Brownsville, has represented South Texas in the state’s Senate since 1991.
In 2003, with the prospect of a gerrymandered congressional map passing the legislature, 10 of my senate colleagues and I ventured to New Mexico to gain leverage in redistricting negotiations. Earlier that year, Democrats in the Texas House used a similar strategy to run out the clock on the regular legislative session by waiting it out in Oklahoma.
Both tactics were a response to redistricting maps that we felt would put our party at an unfair disadvantage in the state’s congressional delegation. In the end, however, our efforts were unsuccessful. With the quorum break dragging on longer than expected, and a razor-thin margin keeping our effort alive, it took the return of only one senator to doom our effort. We had to go back to Austin to acquiesce to the maps on the table, which led to six Democratic congressmen losing their seats, just as we had feared.
Now, Democrats in the Texas House are again attempting to block legislation that threatens to diminish our constituents’ voices, this time in the form of a voting-reform proposal known as Senate Bill 1. The circumstances they face are different: As opposed to the one-vote margin that determined the outcome of our 2003 quorum break, the Texas House today requires 17 Democrats to consider a bill. As long as fewer than that number remain in Austin, Senate Bill 1 will not pass. The Democratic legislators waiting in Washington show every sign of being able to run out the clock on this bill. This is a consequence of recent elections, during which Democrats have made gains in both chambers of the Texas legislature.
Eddie Lucio Jr., a Democrat from Brownsville, has represented South Texas in the state’s Senate since 1991.
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