Ellis: 'Voting is not a partisan issue'

Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis has given his take on Democratic leaders fleeing to Washington, D.C. in an effort to stall the state’s decision to reform its voting laws.

Ellis said in an op-ed for The Texas Signal that voting should be extended, and not restricted, as it’s the foundation of democracy.

"Voting is not a partisan issue,” he said. “By breaking quorum, the #TXDems are fighting for all of us. Access to the ballot is a sacred cornerstone of our democracy, and we must protect it at all costs."

Ellis wrote the op-ed asserting the Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled to Washington, D.C. "are taking a stand for our democracy."

In his op-ed piece, Ellis reasoned that the special session could have addressed issues that are plaguing Texans from a reliable electric grid, the Delta variant, health care access and economic recovery.

“Instead, Gov. Abbott’s agenda prioritized mass incarceration, attacks on LGBTQ+ children and restrictions on voting,” he wrote in The Texas Signal.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called the Democratic leaders "straight-up" hypocrites for their actions and insisted the proposed voting law was within reason.

"Everything we're doing is perfectly legal," Abbott insisted.