{"id":186197,"date":"2021-05-31T15:37:30","date_gmt":"2021-05-31T15:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radiofree.asia\/?guid=201689747b85cdcd0e5b06c73a4e58f9"},"modified":"2021-05-31T15:37:30","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T15:37:30","slug":"texas-democrats-walk-off-house-floor-to-block-voter-suppression-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/05\/31\/texas-democrats-walk-off-house-floor-to-block-voter-suppression-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Democrats Walk Off House Floor to Block Voter Suppression Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Julian<\/a>

Texas Democrats blocked final passage of a Republican-authored voter suppression bill late Sunday by abruptly walking off the state House floor, denying the chamber’s GOP majority the quorum necessary to proceed to a vote.<\/p>\n

The last-ditch move by Democratic lawmakers came hours after Texas Republicans <\/span>rammed the bill through<\/a> <\/span>the state Senate in the dead of night following a marathon session on Saturday, maneuvering around rules that typically bar lawmakers from voting on legislation that has not been public for at least 24 hours.<\/p>\n

S.B. 7<\/a> <\/span>(pdf), which Republican lawmakers crafted and expanded in secret, would impose new voter ID requirements for mail-in ballots, make it easier for judges to <\/span>overturn election results<\/a>, limit the use of ballot drop boxes, and restrict early voting hours on Sundays \u2014 a provision that civil rights groups said would disproportionately impact Black voters.<\/p>\n

After walking out of the House chamber shortly before the midnight deadline for passage of the bill, Texas Democrats gathered at Mt. Zion Baptist Church late Sunday in what the <\/span>Texas Tribune<\/em> <\/span>described<\/a> <\/span>as a “nod at a last-minute addition to the expansive bill that set a new restriction on early voting hours on Sundays, limiting voting from 1 pm to 9 pm.”<\/p>\n

“Over the last two days, Democrats had derided the addition \u2014 dropped in during behind-closed-door negotiations \u2014 raising concerns that change would hamper ‘souls to the polls’ efforts meant to turn out voters, particularly Black voters, after church services,” the <\/span>Tribune<\/em> <\/span>reported.<\/p>\n

Under Texas law, two-thirds of the 150 House members must be present for the chamber to take a vote \u2014 a requirement that went unfulfilled due to the Democrats’ walkout, which came after the minority party’s earlier delay tactics appeared likely to fail.<\/p>\n

“We’ve used all the tools in our toolbox to fight this bill,” state Rep. Nicole Collier (D-95), chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, <\/span>said<\/a> <\/span>in a speech outside Mt. Zion late Sunday. “And tonight we pulled out that last one.”<\/p>\n

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Texas House Democrats aren\u2019t letting democracy die in the darkness. <\/p>\n

They have walked out of this sham session as Republicans try to jam through their voter suppression bill.<\/p>\n

This is the kind of fight we need from our legislators. https:\/\/t.co\/1M3ExFm5HE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Juli\u00e1n Castro (@JulianCastro) May 31, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n