A Texas state lawmaker joined Hill.TV on Tuesday to discuss Democratic legislators’ decision to leave the state in protest of a voting bill, arguing the move was necessary because “democracy is at stake.”
“I wouldn’t have left the greatest state in the union to come to Washington, D.C., if I didn’t absolutely have to,” Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) told co-hosts Ryan Grim and Emily Jashinsky on Hill.TV’s “Rising.”
“And I feel, along with the rest of my colleagues that our very democracy is at stake. And the sacred voting rights that so many brave Americans have fought and died for are at stake.”
Talarico and dozens of other Texas state Democrats traveled to D.C. on Monday in order to deny Republicans the quorum needed for the special legislative session in Austin. The Democrats are urging congressional lawmakers to advance federal voting rights legislation.
“This voter suppression bill that is being jammed through the Texas legislature will become state law unless our Congress decides to take immediate action to restore voting rights for millions of Texans and millions of Americans across the country and to protect our democracy for future generations. And that’s what we’re demanding our congress do,” Talarico said.
He went on to explain that he and his colleagues are prepared to remain outside of Texas until Aug. 7, which would be the end date of the state legislature’s special session and would effectively kill the bill.
“But Governor Abbott, because of his commitment to Donald Trump and his ‘big lie,’ will continue to call us back special session after special session until this bill is passed. So we are living on borrowed time,” Talarico said.
“We are simply giving Congress more time to take action to prevent bills like this from becoming law in Texas and in states across the country. And so the end game is to get Congress to act,” he added. “There is really no option without Congress taking action for us to stop this voter suppression bill from becoming law in the state of Texas.”
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