Special session in Texas raises expectations of voting fight
3 years, 6 months ago

Special session in Texas raises expectations of voting fight

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday ordered lawmakers back to work in July, raising expectations of another attempt to pass new voting restrictions after Democrats blocked the GOP’s first try with a dramatic late-night walkout in May. But Abbott has previously made clear that he would bring lawmakers back to pass new election laws after Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives left the chamber one by one less than two hours before a midnight deadline over Memorial Day weekend, denying the GOP majority the quorum needed to pass what was one of the nation’s most restrictive voting measures. Democrats have vowed to continue fighting GOP efforts to reduce polling hours and voting access in Texas after staging the last-ditch revolt to stop the sweeping elections overhaul from reaching Abbott’s desk. Special sessions in Texas last up to 30 days, but could end sooner if the GOP-controlled Legislature works fast and delivers a bill to Abbott’s liking.

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History of this topic

A Texas GOP brawl is dragging to a runoff. How the power struggle may push Republicans further right
10 months ago

A Texas GOP brawl is dragging to a runoff. How the power struggle may push Republicans further right

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — A Republican power struggle in Texas that could push the state even further right come November isn’t cooling down. Still, the state party censured Phelan over the impeachment and a “lack of fidelity to Republican principles and priorities.” Even if Phelan wins the runoff, his hopes for third term as speaker would appear heavily damaged. A CHANCE …

Texas judge says no quick ruling expected over GOP efforts to toss 2022 election losses near Houston
1 year, 4 months ago

Texas judge says no quick ruling expected over GOP efforts to toss 2022 election losses near Houston

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — A Texas judge presiding over Republicans’ widespread challenges to losses in the 2022 elections around Houston said Thursday not to expect a quick ruling following a trial in which no GOP voters came forward to testify that they were unable to vote because of ballot shortages or delayed poll openings last November. At the heart of the challenge …

Texas lawmakers begin second special session focusing on property taxes
1 year, 6 months ago

Texas lawmakers begin second special session focusing on property taxes

Associated Press  

Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called state lawmakers into a second special legislative session Tuesday with no talks of border security and immigration on the agenda, just hours after the first one wrapped up with the Republican-led Legislature in a stalemate over property taxes. Abbott’s first special session agenda focused on property taxes and border security. Abbott further tightened …

After A Standoff With Democrats, Texas Republicans Pass New Voting Restrictions
3 years, 4 months ago

After A Standoff With Democrats, Texas Republicans Pass New Voting Restrictions

NPR  

After A Standoff With Democrats, Texas Republicans Pass New Voting Restrictions Enlarge this image toggle caption Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images Texas Republicans on Tuesday passed a series of new restrictions on the state's voting process, concluding a months-long legislative effort by sending the measure to Republican Gov. Sponsor Message National Texas Republicans Pass New Voting Restrictions Texas Republicans …

Texas Democrats return, end 38-day holdout over voting bill
3 years, 4 months ago

Texas Democrats return, end 38-day holdout over voting bill

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — A standoff in Texas over new voting restrictions that gridlocked the state Capitol for 38 consecutive days ended Thursday when some Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C., dropped their holdout, paving the way for Republicans to resume pushing an elections overhaul. Only three new Democrats showed up Thursday, and the vast majority of the more than 50 …

Texas Democrats Return, Ending A 38-Day Holdout That Blocked A Voting Bill
3 years, 4 months ago

Texas Democrats Return, Ending A 38-Day Holdout That Blocked A Voting Bill

NPR  

Texas Democrats Return, Ending A 38-Day Holdout That Blocked A Voting Bill Enlarge this image toggle caption Eric Gay/AP Eric Gay/AP AUSTIN, Texas — A standoff in Texas over new voting restrictions that gridlocked the state Capitol for 38 consecutive days ended Thursday when some Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C., dropped their holdout, paving the way for Republicans to …

Texas senator’s 15-hour filibuster spotlights voting clash
3 years, 4 months ago

Texas senator’s 15-hour filibuster spotlights voting clash

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas Democratic senator who spoke for more than 15 hours against GOP voting restrictions knew she was just delaying the inevitable. Still, Carol Alvarado saw the filibuster as one more tactic she could use to spotlight her party’s marathon clash with Republicans over voting rights. Alvarado, chair of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus, took questions from …

As Texas Democrats mull return, GOP voting bill still awaits
3 years, 5 months ago

As Texas Democrats mull return, GOP voting bill still awaits

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — Twenty-six days into refusing to come home, Texas Democrats who have twice now blocked a GOP voting bill face a choice: whether to go for Round 3. Setting up camp in a Washington hotel, Texas Democrats spent nearly a month meeting with congressional leaders, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and torpedoed new voting laws back home …

Texas governor orders new try at passing GOP voting laws
3 years, 5 months ago

Texas governor orders new try at passing GOP voting laws

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered the Legislature to reconvene for a third time to try to pass a Republican-backed voting restrictions bill that Democratic members blocked by leaving the state nearly a month ago. State Rep. Chris Turner, the leader of the House Democratic Caucus, would not say following Abbott’s announcement whether they would return …

Texas Democrats Meet With U.S. Senators As Window Narrows To Protect Voting Rights
3 years, 5 months ago

Texas Democrats Meet With U.S. Senators As Window Narrows To Protect Voting Rights

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Texas Democrats who made the decision this week to flee the state for Washington, D.C., in a desperate effort to hold off a voter suppression bill met on Wednesday with several U.S. senators to continue the fight for federal voting rights legislation. The state lawmakers met Tuesday with Vice President Kamala Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck …

Biden blasts ‘un-American’ voting limits; Texas Dems act
3 years, 5 months ago

Biden blasts ‘un-American’ voting limits; Texas Dems act

Associated Press  

PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden declared preserving voting rights an urgent national “test of our time” on Tuesday but offered few concrete proposals to meet it. Biden called passage of congressional proposals to override new state voting restrictions and to restore parts of the Voting Rights Act that were curbed in recent years by the Supreme Court “a national imperative.” …

Texas Democrats dig in after exodus; GOP threatens arrest
3 years, 5 months ago

Texas Democrats dig in after exodus; GOP threatens arrest

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Democrats who hurriedly took off to Washington to block sweeping new election laws urged Congress on Tuesday to quickly pass legislation protecting voting rights, while Republican Gov. In Austin, House Republicans authorized state troopers to find and corral missing legislators, while a depleted but still-working state Senate passed new voting restrictions in a show of GOP …

Biden slams Republican state voting bills as ‘un-American’
3 years, 5 months ago

Biden slams Republican state voting bills as ‘un-American’

Al Jazeera  

Texas legislators go to Washington and call on US President Joe Biden and Congress to counter state voting restrictions. It suppresses and subjugates.” Invoking the US civil rights movement of the 1960s and the historic battle for Black liberation that began after slavery, Biden delivered a fiery speech in Philadelphia condemning the drive by Republicans in several US states including …

Texas governor threatens to arrest Democrats who blocked voting law by fleeing state
3 years, 5 months ago

Texas governor threatens to arrest Democrats who blocked voting law by fleeing state

LA Times  

U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, center, flanked by Chris Turner, left, chairman of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, speaks at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. More than 50 Texas Democrats flew to Washington, D.C., this week, breaking quorum during a 30-day special session of the state Legislature due to end in August, effectively stalling Republican colleagues’ …

Texas Democrats Leave The State In An Effort To Block GOP Voting Restrictions
3 years, 5 months ago

Texas Democrats Leave The State In An Effort To Block GOP Voting Restrictions

NPR  

Texas Democrats Leave The State In An Effort To Block GOP Voting Restrictions Enlarge this image toggle caption Eric Gay/AP Eric Gay/AP Texas House Democrats left the state on Monday in a second high-profile effort to block controversial GOP legislation that critics have slammed as voter suppression. "Today, Texas House Democrats stand united in our decision to break quorum and …

Texas Democrats fled the state. Here’s why
3 years, 5 months ago

Texas Democrats fled the state. Here’s why

LA Times  

Texas state Rep. Jessica Gonzalez speaks during a news conference on May 31 in Austin after House Democrats blocked one of the most restrictive voting bills in the U.S. from passing before a midnight deadline. Texas statehouse Democrats fled Monday to Washington D.C. to try and block the GOP’s sweeping elections overhaul bill that makes it harder to vote in …

Texas GOP renews push for new voting laws, unfinished agenda
3 years, 6 months ago

Texas GOP renews push for new voting laws, unfinished agenda

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republicans on Thursday brought back efforts to ban 24-hour polling places and drive-thru voting as Gov. Similar to the GOP’s the sweeping bill blocked in May, the revived version would also empower partisan poll watchers and ban drop boxes for mail-in ballots, making it what would be one of the most comprehensive reworking of a state’s …

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Calls Special Session After Democrats Block Bill Restricting Voting Rights
3 years, 6 months ago

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Calls Special Session After Democrats Block Bill Restricting Voting Rights

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session of the state’s legislature to begin next month, a step that will likely inflame debate over a restrictive voting rights bill that floundered in May after Democrats staged a last-minute walkout to block the legislation. Abbott’s office didn’t immediately announce what items would be on the special session’s agenda …

Dems walk, stop Texas GOP’s sweeping voting restrictions
3 years, 7 months ago

Dems walk, stop Texas GOP’s sweeping voting restrictions

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Democrats pulled off a dramatic, last-ditch walkout in the state House of Representatives on Sunday night to block passage of one of the most restrictive voting bills in the U.S., leaving Republicans with no choice but to abandon a midnight deadline and declare the legislative session essentially over. The revolt is one of Democrats’ biggest protests …

Texas Governor Vows Action After Democrats Walk Out Over Voting Bill
3 years, 7 months ago

Texas Governor Vows Action After Democrats Walk Out Over Voting Bill

NPR  

Texas Governor Vows Action After Democrats Walk Out Over Voting Bill STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Texas is not finished debating its voting laws. But I think it's our job to make sure that doesn't blossom into a problem that disturbs the underlying and one of the underpinnings of our democracy, and that is confidence in our elections. So it's a real …

Democrats In Texas Stage Walkout To Block Restrictive Voting Bill
3 years, 7 months ago

Democrats In Texas Stage Walkout To Block Restrictive Voting Bill

NPR  

Democrats In Texas Stage Walkout To Block Restrictive Voting Bill Republican lawmakers in Texas had to give up on a voting bill after Democrats walked out before a final vote. NOEL KING, HOST: Democrats in the Texas Statehouse walked off the floor late last night, effectively blocking a Republican- ASHLEY LOPEZ, BYLINE: Good morning. James Slattery, an attorney with the …

Texas voting bill: Democrats leave House floor, effectively blocking passage of restrictive voting bill for now
3 years, 7 months ago

Texas voting bill: Democrats leave House floor, effectively blocking passage of restrictive voting bill for now

CNN  

Austin, Texas CNN — Texas Republicans’ push to enact a slew of new voting restrictions was stymied – at least for now – by Democrats who walked off the state House floor late Sunday night, leaving majority Republicans without the quorum they needed to approve the bill in the final hours before a midnight deadline. “We may have won the …

Biden slams Texas proposed voting curbs as ‘assault on democracy’
3 years, 7 months ago

Biden slams Texas proposed voting curbs as ‘assault on democracy’

Al Jazeera  

Texas legislators are expected to vote on bill restricting voting access, the latest of several similar measures in US. United States President Joe Biden has denounced a proposed bill in the state of Texas that would restrict voting rights, saying the measure “is part of an assault on democracy” and would disproportionately harm people of colour. In a statement on …

After All-Night Session, Texas House Approves GOP-Backed Voting Restrictions Bill
3 years, 8 months ago

After All-Night Session, Texas House Approves GOP-Backed Voting Restrictions Bill

NPR  

After All-Night Session, Texas House Approves GOP-Backed Voting Restrictions Bill Enlarge this image toggle caption Eric Gay/AP Eric Gay/AP Texas legislators approved new, more restrictive state election rules after a session that lasted from Thursday night into the early hours of Friday. But the version the House passed early Friday also stripped out some of the more contentious provisions seen …

Despite business warnings, GOP moves ahead with voting bills
3 years, 8 months ago

Despite business warnings, GOP moves ahead with voting bills

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — Republican lawmakers around the country are pressing ahead with efforts to tighten voting laws, despite growing warnings from business leaders that the measures could harm democracy and the economic climate. More than 50 companies and business organizations, including some in Texas, released an open letter on Tuesday expressing opposition to “any changes” that would make it harder …

Five things to learn from Election Day 2020 in Texas
4 years, 2 months ago

Five things to learn from Election Day 2020 in Texas

Salon  

It's finally Election Day. Hours later, as he finished a six-day bus tour in Dripping Springs, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn recognized two of the factors making for a dramatic end to the general election in Texas: the massive early voting turnout and a late surge in outside Democratic spending against both him and President Donald Trump. Cornyn said the 9.7 …

Key US Senate races put Republican majority control at risk
4 years, 3 months ago

Key US Senate races put Republican majority control at risk

Al Jazeera  

Republicans are in a ‘knife fight’ defending nine vulnerable senators against Democratic challengers in November. McConnell said the Senate will vote on Trump’s nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday. And the Republican Senate has protected Trump from congressional attempts to reverse his executive actions and blocked legislative proposals …

Biden wins Texas primary in resounding Super Tuesday finish
4 years, 10 months ago

Biden wins Texas primary in resounding Super Tuesday finish

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — Joe Biden ended a triumphant Super Tuesday with a narrow victory over Bernie Sanders in Texas, the giant red state where Democrats are seeking a rare return to power in 2020. “And as a working mom, I’m concerned about the future if we keep it in the hands of people like Sen. John Cornyn.” And on the …

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