AUSTIN, Texas — After a near-record 38 days of breaking quorum to block Republicans’ anti-Texan legislation, Texas Democrats are bringing this phase of resistance to a close — returning to the Capitol to continue seeking solutions to the attacks facing Texans.
All year long, Texas Democrats have held the line against Texas Republicans’ relentless attacks on our right to vote. During the regular legislative session, after Texas Republicans consistently flouted legislative procedure to jam a spate of anti-voter bills through the Texas legislature, Texas House Democrats refused to be complicit in the passage of these racist bills — and instead, chose to deny Republicans the quorum of legislators needed to pass the bills into law. After the increasingly tyrannical Gov. Greg Abbott added two irregular extra legislative sessions to the calendar to give the anti-voter bills a second chance, Texas House Democrats once again resisted by breaking quorum — and spent four weeks in D.C. rallying a massive coalition and advocating to federal legislators for voting rights protections.
Now, during this second irregular, anti-voter legislative session, Texas Democrats are taking the fight back to the Capitol. Texas House and Senate Democrats are united in their opposition to Texas Republicans’ efforts to silence the voices of Texans, and will continue to use every tool available to stand up for their constituents.
Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa issued the following statement:
“I am beyond proud of our Texas Democratic legislators, who have spent a near-record 38 days denying Texas Republicans a legislative quorum and thwarting their efforts to pass anti-voter legislation. This is what it looks like to stand up for Texans. Our Texas Democrats in D.C. ferociously lobbied for federal solutions to protect our right to vote. They showed the world what it means to be a Texas Democrat — and brought the eyes of our entire country to the fight Texans are facing. Their work forced votes on critical voting rights legislation that would have otherwise remained stalled. And thanks to them, Texas remains in the national spotlight — and as Texas Republicans continue to throw our democracy in jeopardy, their anti-democratic attacks are facing the condemnation of the nation. Today, as our legislators continue their fight in our Capitol, I thank every single Texas Democratic lawmaker who has fought tirelessly in defense of our most basic constitutional right: the chance to make our voices heard at the ballot box.
“For months now, Texas Democrats have spoken with one voice, and our message is clear: we will do whatever it takes to protect our freedom to vote. Faced with yet another irregular special session from a governor who is willing to sell out our democracy for political gain, we will fight with everything we have in this special session to protect Texas voters and to push for real solutions to the most urgent issues facing Texas families. We knew that breaking quorum was one tool in our arsenal, and our legislators used it to fend off Republicans’ attacks. Now, some of our lawmakers are taking the fight back to our Capitol, while another delegation is staying in D.C. to continue to push for the federal legislation that will put an end to these attacks. We are continuing to fight with everything we have, on all fronts — and we know the fight is still on.
“An attack on our right to vote is an attack on our communities and our future. We know it, and Texas Republicans know it. And they’re persisting in these attacks for one reason: Republicans like Greg Abbott know their days in power are numbered, and they’re trying to hold onto their jobs the only way they can — by stopping us from voting. We deserve leaders who look like us, who will listen to us, and who will fight for us — not sellouts who throw us under the bus any chance they get if it means they can make a buck from their elite donors. And the day that every single eligible Texas voter gets to the ballot box is the day we make that happen. The fight isn’t over. Texas Democrats are in it for the long haul. And we will not rest until the right to vote — the one thing that makes us who we are as a country — is finally, fully, and federally protected.”
