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In an effort to stall a voting reform bill, Texas House Democrats have fled the state to Washington, D.C.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Democrats will need to stay out of Texas for the entire 30 days of a special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott to prevent the passage of legislation.
Democrats left last month in order to avoid being arrested by a “Call of the House” order from Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, which could have been initiated July 13, when the House was back in session, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
House Democrats released a statement, saying they would not return to Texas for the rest of the 30-day special session as a result of their political pivot, according to the Tyler-based newspaper. The special session is expected to last until Aug. 7.
Matt Rinaldi, a former legislator and the newly elected chairman of the Texas Republican Party, said there should be consequences for the Democrats’ decision to flee the state.
“I have been one of many people, including Gov. Greg Abbott and many Republicans calling on House Speaker Dade Phelan to strip fleeing Democrats of their chairmanships,” Rinaldi told Houston Daily. “The Texas Constitution grants the House broad power to secure the attendance of absent members and it should use every tool at its disposal.”
According to the Austin American-Statesman, out of the 67 Democrats in the Texas House, 63 were absent and only two absences were excused, meaning that 61 House Democrats left the state. Democrats are arguing that the new voting laws would be at the expense of people most likely to vote for them, which amounts to voter suppression.
Republicans disagree and have referenced a NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll of 1,115 adults, with 79% of respondents believing voters should be required to show government-issued photo identification whenever they vote.
Empire State Today reported that Senate Bill 7 will offer two weeks of early voting, along with rolling back drive-thru and 24-hour voting and mandate a state ID or Social Security number in order to vote.
The Texas House voted July 13 to coerce the Democrats who left the state to return and attend the legislative session, using warrants and arrests if necessary. The House voted 76-4 to authorize officials to arrest any non-excused absent member after the absence of a quorum was established, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
Abbott has gone on record saying he would keep calling special sessions indefinitely until the new voting law is passed.
According to a poll from the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, 54% of Texans oppose legislators staging walkouts with spokesman Brian Phillips stating that “most Texans see it as a childish and desperate move, and they don’t like temper tantrums.”