Democrats in the Texas legislature used a dramatic walk-out late on Sunday to torpedo Republican plans for a restrictive voting Bill that President Joe Biden had decried as voter suppression and an “assault on democracy”.
The law would — among other changes — make mail-in voting more difficult by requiring voters to give extra information, bar local officials from sending absentee ballot applications to anyone who did not request one, and end after-hours and drive-through voting.
Supporters say Senate Bill 7 is designed to make voting more secure, but critics say it aims to make it more cumbersome for ethnic-minority voters, who tend to vote Democrat. “Republicans came into the legislative session hell-bent on passing legislation that would rig our democracy for their team,” Democrat state representative Jessica Gonzalez tweeted after the walk-out. “Tonight, Texas Dems drew a line in the sand and made it clear that we will fight day and night, every tactic available to us, for your right to vote.”
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The Bill could yet make it into law. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he would call a special session to get it through the legislature.