Texas House Democrats flee the state in move that could block voting restrictions bill, bring...

[herding cats]

Source: Texas Tribune

Texas House Democrats flee the state in move that could block voting restrictions bill, bring Legislature to a halt

Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives left the state Monday afternoon en route to Washington, D.C., in a bid to again deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass new voting restrictions with 26 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 boarded two planes out of Austin headed for the U.S. capital without a set return date. At least 51 of the 67 Democratic representatives — the number needed to break quorum — were in the process of leaving Monday afternoon, most arriving at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Monday to board chartered flights that departed around 3:10 p.m.

The House is set to reconvene Tuesday morning, but the absent Democrats would mean there will not be enough members present to conduct business under House rules.

“Today, Texas House Democrats stand united in our decision to break quorum and refuse to let the Republican-led legislature force through dangerous legislation that would trample on Texans’ freedom to vote," Democratic leaders said in a joint statement released Monday.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/12/texas-democrats-voting-bill-quorum/

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Live updates: GOP House leader says he'll use "every available resource" to secure quorum after Democrats leave state

Texas Democrats in the state House have left Texas and are on flights to Washington D.C. in an effort to again block a GOP attempt to pass voting restrictions in the special legislative session that started last week.

At least 51 of the 67 Democratic representatives were in the process of leaving, most on charter flights from Austin's airport Monday afternoon. The House is set to reconvene Tuesday morning, but the absent Democrats would mean there will not be enough members present to conduct business under House rules.

Democrats — who are the minority party — walked out in the final hours of the regular legislative session in May, causing the House to lose its quorum and killing the voting legislation.

Check back here for the latest details.

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/12/texas-democrats-walk-out-voting-bill/

[walkingman]

1. Proud to be a Texas Democrat! Glad to see my brothers fighting the GOP

injustice. Time to turn this state BLUE - actually overdue.

The last time the Texas Dems walked out it was to fight redistricting, Republicans quickly ordered state troopers and the legendary Texas Rangers to round them up. But the Democrats were one step ahead of the law. They fled to neighboring Oklahoma and set up shop in a hotel.

Give'em Hell!

[bluestarone]

2. Good!

Beat them ANYWAY we can!!!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. Good for them

[BumRushDaShow]

4. I remember when Democrats in the Wisconsin state Senate did the same thing

to protest anti-union provisions in the state budget legislation. Their absence forced a delay although the GOP was able to maneuver around it and pass it another way. It's hard to believe that it has been 10 years ago when that happened - https://www.npr.org/2011/02/17/133847336/wis-democratic-lawmakers-flee-to-prevent-vote

Hoping the Texas Democrats will prevail with this!

[LeftInTX]

9. Currently quorum is 2/3, but the House can always change the rules.

The thing I don't like about them being gone is:
They will not be able to amend the bills.

This House bill is not as bad as the regular session bill. I'm against it, but I did not see anything crazy in it. It limits early voting hours to 6a-10pm. (We closed polls at 10pm in Bexar County and did not do 24 hours.. We did not have many people show up past 8 pm...Under normal conditions polls are open until 8 pm..The extended hours until 10 pm were a Covid thing...However, I hope they do up the hours until 10 pm for the next presidential) Eliminates drive through voting, unless there is no other method. Once again, drive through voting was a Covid thing.

The bill added some restrictions on mail voting, but I didn't have time to read all of the bill because it was recently introduced. It was pretty techy stuff with the mail voting. However, it kept in place, the honor system for voting by mail law for disabled until 65.

It did allow poll watchers more access as in the regular session bill, but instead of harassment and intimidation, poll watchers would now only be "too close for comfort"...
I does make illegal voter registration a crime, whereas currently only voting by unqualified people is a crime...

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/871/billtext/pdf/HB00003I.pdf#navpanes=0

The Senate has a companion bill, SB 1 and that bill has some additional provisions and they are bad. They include a provision to purge voters. I believe Democrats had the power to remove that part. I believe Democrats had the power to amend the bill. Now I'm afraid the Senate bill will rammed through and passed.

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=871&Bill=SB1

[rdking647]

11. cant change the rules without a quorum....

[LeftInTX]

12. OK...thought I read they could change rules with just a majority

[BumRushDaShow]

13. Here in PA, the only thing keeping the GOP loons from following suit

with the most draconian voter suppression stuff, is because we have a Democratic governor AND they don't have a super-majority. Gov. Wolf just vetoed their initial attempt a couple weeks ago that had some good stuff in it, including finally allowing pre-canvassing of mailed-in ballots, but then it also went back to the 2012-style bullshit "Voter ID" nonsense, added an idiotic "signature check" provision, gets rid of many of the drop boxes (and includes severe restrictions on whatever is left), along with trying to create an Arizona-style "Election Audit" office - https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/30/politics/pennsylvania-tom-wolf-vetoes-gop-election-overhaul-bill/index.html

And this is all with the backdrop of the circus clown state Rep. Mastriano (who is also running for governor), who is demanding 2020 election audits of 3 of 67 counties including Philadelphia, which is my county/city. He was the architect of some of the lawsuits involving PA's elections this past fall that failed spectacularly in the courts and he hosted the infamous Ghouliani Gettysburg super-spreader "conference".

Democrats here need to make sure that we can keep a Democrat in as Governor and start clawing back the state legislature. Fortunately Democrats make up the majority of the state Supreme Court here (the positions are elected), which will come into play as they begin the redistricting process.

I had heard announced yesterday that the former (GOP affiliated) U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain, has decided to go full loon and directly court TFG in a run for governor. I can imagine the shit-show of him and Mastriano during the GOP primaries. Thankfully Democrats have (not-yet-declared) AG Josh Shapiro most likely throwing his hat in the ring.

[AllaN01Bear]

5. good on them.

[Mersky]

6. I am so proud of them

I’ve been following the special session, and it’s been ugly. Could see from the dysfunctions this weekend that the repubs were back to their same bag of tricks.

[forthemiddle]

8. Would filibuster be a better word?

For what it’s worth, I have been in favor of keeping the filibuster in the Senate, and I’m in favor of this move.
I realize they are two different rules, so I’m not playing whataboutism, I’m just pointing out that rules (or maneuvers in this case) set up to protect the minority are usually a good thing, even if it hurts us at times.
I just like to remind others that without the filibuster in the Senate we would have “The Born Alive Bill”, we would have a border wall, and going way back, we would have have private accounts for Social Security!

[Orrex]

10. Overheard some Fox News 2ca customer's house this morning

The headline stated the Democrats took a trip to DC for free beer, and Gov Fuckface vowed to arrest them upon return.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

14. Texas House Votes to Arrest Democrats Who Fled State to Block Voting Bill

AUSTIN, Texas—Texas state House members voted 76-4 to send law enforcement to find and return absent Democrats “under warrant of arrest, if necessary,” a day after dozens of Democratic House members fled the state in an effort to kill election legislation.

The body cannot approve legislation without a two-thirds quorum of its 150 members.

Tuesday’s state House vote came as the state Senate was preparing to consider its own version of the elections bill. Some Democratic senators were also absent Tuesday, but the body had enough members to conduct business.

Both chambers of the Republican-controlled Texas legislature, in a special legislative session that began last week, filed similar versions of the bill, which would broadly tighten voting rules across the state. Gov. Greg Abbott called the special session after Democratic House members walked out before a voting deadline at the end of the regular legislative session in May, denying the body a quorum needed to vote on the proposed legislation.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/texas-house-votes-to-arrest-democrats-who-fled-state-to-block-voting-bill/ar-AAM6plV

Texas Democrat on governor's threat: 'I have not committed a crime, so I can't get arrested'

A Texas Democratic lawmaker on Tuesday rebuffed Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) threat to arrest House Democrats who left the state in order to block the passage of an elections overhaul bill.

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) said she doesn't worry about the governor's threat to have the lawmakers arrested and hold them inside the Capitol until they "get their jobs done" because she hasn't committed a crime.

"I don't worry probably because I know the law, as well, and the governor knows the law, as well. I'm a criminal defense attorney and so I understand that I've not committed a crime, so I can't get arrested," Crockett said during an interview on CNN Tuesday.

Link to tweet

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/texas-democrat-on-governors-threat-i-have-not-committed-a-crime-so-i-cant-get-arrested/ar-AAM6LLe

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

15. Texas Democrats pressure Congress to block state-GOP voting restrictions

Texas Democrats spent Tuesday in Washington pressuring Congress to pass federal voting rights legislation and calling for an exception to the Senate's filibuster rule blocking Democrats from moving forward with a measure they say would stop GOP-led efforts to restrict voting in Texas and nationwide.

The state lawmakers were expected to meet with a key Democrat who has resisted changing the filibuster rule requiring 60 votes to advance legislation -- West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin. He and Arizona Democrat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema are playing a pivotal role in the ongoing congressional negotiations over a national voting rights bill.

It is unclear if the Texas Democrats will hold meetings with Sinema. If both she and Manchin were to agree to an exception to the rule -- Senate Democrats with their 50 votes, along with Vice President Kamala Harris -- could pass the bill congressional Democrats and President Joe Biden have made a top priority.

Biden was making his case in a high-profile speech in Philadelphia Tuesday afternoon.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/texas-democrats-pressure-congress-to-block-state-gop-voting-restrictions/ar-AAM7fdY