On Sunday night, roughly sixty Texas Democrats blocked the Republican-led Texas legislature from passing one of the most restrictive voting bills in the country. The legislation, S.B. 7, would restrict vote-by-mail and drop boxes; ban drive-through voting, 24 hour voting, and Sunday voting before 1pm; add unnecessary and burdensome requirements for people to assist voters who need help in casting their ballot; empower partisan polls watchers; and make it easier to overturn election results.
“In an act of courage to save our democracy, Texas Democrats stood up to protect voting rights. Now, it is time for the U.S. Senate to do the same by passing the For the People Act to fight back against these dangerous anti-democratic efforts and protect Americans’ fundamental right and freedom to vote,” said ECU // LAV Action Fund President Tiffany Muller.
As reported by the Washington Post’s Amy Gardner, Texas Democrats blocked the restrictive voting bill in a unified walkout, denying Republicans the quorum needed to pass the legislation. The move drew national attention and sparked calls for Congress to take action and protect Americans’ freedom to vote by passing the For the People Act (S. 1, H.R., 1). State Representative Erin Zwiener (D) tweeted: “We did our part to stop S.B. 7. Now we need Congress to do their part,” and State Representative Martinez Fisher stated in an interview: “Breaking quorum is about the equivalent of crawling on our knees, begging the president and the United States Congress to give us the For the People Act and give us the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.”
End Citizens United and Let America Vote President Tiffany Muller, former Congressman and founder of Powered by People Beto O’Rourke, and Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria recently strongly condemned S.B. 7 in a press zoom call calling out its impact on Black and brown voters, voters with disabilities, and low-income Texans, and urging the U.S. Senate to pass the For the People Act (S. 1, H.R. 1).
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Friday that the Senate will vote on the For the People Act during the last week of the June work period, calling it “essential to defending our democracy.”
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