How Long Can Texas Democrats Hold Out?
Back in May, Texas House Democrats gained national attention for walking out of the state Capitol and preventing the legislature from having enough members to pass a stringent voting measure that would’ve further restricted access to the ballot box in a state where voting is already hard.
The move was only a temporary victory for Democrats, however, as Gov. Greg Abbott called a special legislative session on July 8 to try to pass a number of conservative priority items — including a similar measure on voting restrictions. It’s expected to fail once again, though, since most of the state’s legislative Democrats left the Capitol again — this time for Washington, D.C.
Republicans in the state are angry. Abbott said that the legislators who left Texas “will be arrested” upon their return, while a number of prominent Republicans called for their Democratic colleagues to be stripped of their leadership roles.
It’s less clear, though, how Texas voters will react at this point. There isn’t overwhelming support among Texans for more voting laws, but the question of how long Texas Democrats can keep up these tactics remains. What’s happening there highlights the very real limitations lawmakers face on the issue of voting rights if the federal government fails to intervene.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-long-can-texas-democrats-hold-out/
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