Deplorable:
The Texas Senate on Thursday approved a bill that contains new voting restrictions after a Democratic senator filibustered for 15 hours to try to stop the legislation, moving it one step closer to being enacted and increasing pressure on Republicans in the House to reestablish a quorum to move the measure forward.
The state Senate voted 18-11 in favor of Senate Bill 1 around 9 a.m. local time, after Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Carol Alvarado left the floor for the first time since 5:50 p.m. on Wednesday — the latest long-shot effort by state Democrats to try to stymie passage of the legislation.
Filibuster rules prevented her from eating, sitting down, leaning on her desk, taking a bathroom break or speaking on subjects unrelated to the legislation.
“My friends, voter suppression anywhere is a threat to democracy everywhere,” a clearly weary Alvarado said as she concluded Thursday morning. “As we draw this discussion to an end, it is my sincere hope that civil acts by everyday Texans — from the Senate floor to the ballot box — can help shed the light.”
“What do we want our democracy to look like?” she continued. “Do we want our state to be more or less inclusive? . . . Instead of making it easier to vote, [this bill] makes it easier to intimidate. Instead of making it harder to cheat, it makes it harder to vote.”
Shortly after she finished, Sen. Bryan Hughes, the GOP sponsor of the bill, urged its passage, saying the measure contained “simple, common sense reforms.” The chamber swiftly voted in favor.
Alvarado’s all-night filibuster came a day after Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) signed arrest warrants for 52 Democrats who failed to return during the fourth day of the House’s second special session, leaving the chamber eight members short of a quorum.
After the Senate session concluded, Republican Sen. Bob Hall called the legislation “one of the best bills we’ve passed in a long time.”
“We made changes, fundamental changes that will benefit all people,” Hall said in an interview. “It doesn’t matter your background, your ethnicity. It’s aimed at everyone in Texas to ensure that every vote counts.”
Hall said legislators listened to constituents throughout the process and that their feedback helped craft the legislation that was finally passed. “There was a lot of input from all parties in there, that, I think, made the bill better,” Hall said. He added: “There is absolutely nothing racist in this bill.”
But Democrats said the legislation will make it harder to vote by mail, impeding seniors and those with disabilities, and will disproportionately affect communities of color.
Sen. Beverly Powell (D) said she was particularly concerned about access for people such as her father, a decorated World War II veteran whose hand was permanently injured, causing his signature to look different every time. Another provision that she worried would cause a chilling effect among disabled voters is one that requires an attendant to sign an oath under penalty of perjury that the person they are helping to vote is eligible for assistance.
“I’m sad that it passed,” Powell said. “You know, you could have expected it, it was inevitable, but we’ll live to fight another day. It’s not over till it’s over.”
Powell said she stayed in the Senate chamber alongside Alvarado, her Democratic colleague, until 2 a.m. before going home for a few hours of sleep. She returned Thursday morning.
“I think Carol did a courageous thing last night,” Powell said on the way back to her office. “That was not easy, in a jillion different ways that people will never understand, but she did a fabulous job.”
Texas House speaker signs arrest warrants for Democrats who broke quorum over voting restrictions
The current version of Senate Bill 1 has fewer restrictions than previous iterations but still faces strong criticism from voting rights advocates.
All three versions — one introduced in the legislature’s regular session, a second crafted in the initial special session and now a third in the current session — would prohibit drive-through voting and 24-hour voting. Both methods were used last year in Democratic Harris County, which includes Houston and is the nation’s third-largest county.
The latest version of the bill would require that poll watchers, who are appointed by a political party or a candidate, receive a training manual published by the secretary of state, to satisfy critics who argued that such neutral instruction was necessary.
Another wrinkle that has been ironed out required people casting early ballots to use the same identification number on an application for an early-voting ballot and on the ballot itself. In the new bill, the numbers must simply be connected to the same individual.
Republicans have repeatedly said the bill is meant to make it “easier to vote and harder to cheat.”
Democrats argue that the policy changes are unnecessary, because there is little evidence of voter fraud in Texas, and that the bill would erect barriers for voters, particularly people of color, who they say particularly utilized Harris County’s alternative voting options in November.
The Texas Senate on Thursday approved a bill that contains new voting restrictions after a Democratic senator filibustered for 15 hours to try to stop the legislation, moving it one step closer to being enacted and increasing pressure on Republicans in the House to reestablish a quorum to move the measure forward.
The state Senate voted 18-11 in favor of Senate Bill 1 around 9 a.m. local time, after Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Carol Alvarado left the floor for the first time since 5:50 p.m. on Wednesday — the latest long-shot effort by state Democrats to try to stymie passage of the legislation.
Filibuster rules prevented her from eating, sitting down, leaning on her desk, taking a bathroom break or speaking on subjects unrelated to the legislation.
“My friends, voter suppression anywhere is a threat to democracy everywhere,” a clearly weary Alvarado said as she concluded Thursday morning. “As we draw this discussion to an end, it is my sincere hope that civil acts by everyday Texans — from the Senate floor to the ballot box — can help shed the light.”
“What do we want our democracy to look like?” she continued. “Do we want our state to be more or less inclusive? . . . Instead of making it easier to vote, [this bill] makes it easier to intimidate. Instead of making it harder to cheat, it makes it harder to vote.”
Shortly after she finished, Sen. Bryan Hughes, the GOP sponsor of the bill, urged its passage, saying the measure contained “simple, common sense reforms.” The chamber swiftly voted in favor.
Alvarado’s all-night filibuster came a day after Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) signed arrest warrants for 52 Democrats who failed to return during the fourth day of the House’s second special session, leaving the chamber eight members short of a quorum.
After the Senate session concluded, Republican Sen. Bob Hall called the legislation “one of the best bills we’ve passed in a long time.”
“We made changes, fundamental changes that will benefit all people,” Hall said in an interview. “It doesn’t matter your background, your ethnicity. It’s aimed at everyone in Texas to ensure that every vote counts.”
Hall said legislators listened to constituents throughout the process and that their feedback helped craft the legislation that was finally passed. “There was a lot of input from all parties in there, that, I think, made the bill better,” Hall said. He added: “There is absolutely nothing racist in this bill.”
But Democrats said the legislation will make it harder to vote by mail, impeding seniors and those with disabilities, and will disproportionately affect communities of color.
Sen. Beverly Powell (D) said she was particularly concerned about access for people such as her father, a decorated World War II veteran whose hand was permanently injured, causing his signature to look different every time. Another provision that she worried would cause a chilling effect among disabled voters is one that requires an attendant to sign an oath under penalty of perjury that the person they are helping to vote is eligible for assistance.
“I’m sad that it passed,” Powell said. “You know, you could have expected it, it was inevitable, but we’ll live to fight another day. It’s not over till it’s over.”
Powell said she stayed in the Senate chamber alongside Alvarado, her Democratic colleague, until 2 a.m. before going home for a few hours of sleep. She returned Thursday morning.
“I think Carol did a courageous thing last night,” Powell said on the way back to her office. “That was not easy, in a jillion different ways that people will never understand, but she did a fabulous job.”
Texas House speaker signs arrest warrants for Democrats who broke quorum over voting restrictions
The current version of Senate Bill 1 has fewer restrictions than previous iterations but still faces strong criticism from voting rights advocates.
All three versions — one introduced in the legislature’s regular session, a second crafted in the initial special session and now a third in the current session — would prohibit drive-through voting and 24-hour voting. Both methods were used last year in Democratic Harris County, which includes Houston and is the nation’s third-largest county.
The latest version of the bill would require that poll watchers, who are appointed by a political party or a candidate, receive a training manual published by the secretary of state, to satisfy critics who argued that such neutral instruction was necessary.
Another wrinkle that has been ironed out required people casting early ballots to use the same identification number on an application for an early-voting ballot and on the ballot itself. In the new bill, the numbers must simply be connected to the same individual.
Republicans have repeatedly said the bill is meant to make it “easier to vote and harder to cheat.”
Democrats argue that the policy changes are unnecessary, because there is little evidence of voter fraud in Texas, and that the bill would erect barriers for voters, particularly people of color, who they say particularly utilized Harris County’s alternative voting options in November.
