Democrats in the Texas Legislature were planning Monday to leave the state for Washington, D.C., in a second revolt against a GOP overhaul of election laws.
The Democratic lawmakers are leaving Austin before the GOP can take the first vote on an election bill in the current special legislative session ordered by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. There are only 27 days left in the session.
CNN is reporting that according to two sources familiar with the plan, most of the Democratic lawmakers are leaving Austin on two chartered planes, headed to Washington D.C. today.
The sources say the plan was kept secret out of fears the lawmakers can be legally compelled to return to the Capitol and law enforcement could be sent to track them down.
The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that today’s move marks the first time since 2003 that Texas Democrats, shut out of power in the state Capitol for decades, have crossed state lines to break a quorum.
The walkout by Democrats is seen as serving two purposes. One – it denies the state GOP majority-led legislature a quorum to pass the new restrictive voting legislation that includes outlawing 24-hour polling places, banning ballot drop boxes, and empowering partisan poll watchers.
And secondly, according to the Associated Press, the decision to hole up in Washington is aimed at ratcheting up pressure in the nation’s capital on President Joe Biden and Congress to act on voting at the federal level.
It looks like Democrats are making Texas a “last stand” as Republicans rush to enact new voting restrictions in response to former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
And the whole plan is fraught with all kinds of dangerous scenarios. The biggest one is Governor Abbott’s ability to keep calling for new 30-day special sessions until the voting bill is passed.
Even worse, and something that will leave a black mark on Governor Abbott’s legacy, is the fact that he punished the Democrats last month for their first walkout by vetoing paychecks for roughly 2,000 Capitol employees, which will begin taking effect in September unless the Legislature is in session to restore the funding.
And it could be said that nobody better mess with Abbott. Last month when the Democrats walked out of the legislature, Abbott sent state troopers to try and bring them back.
