Austin News

As Texas lawmakers convened Thursday for a special session to discuss the voting integrity bill, Democrats have said they may once again break quorum to block Texas Senate Bill 7 from being signed into law, according to The Texan.

On May 31, Texas House Democrats left the capitol, essentially blocking election integrity bill SB 7 from being passed, Empire State Today reported. By rejecting the legislative process and exiting early, Texas Democrats denied the House a quorum, leaving the body with fewer than the required number of legislators to take the vote that would approve SB7.

Gov. Greg Abbott had called for a special session to take place Thursday, specifically mentioning the need to address election integrity legislation.

State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond (D-Laredo) recently confirmed that he may break quorum at the July 8 session by exiting the House chambers or even leaving the state entirely to stall SB 7, according to The Texan. Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas) expressed similar plans. 

Rep. Christina Morales (D-Houston) recently told The Texan that she would also break quorum to “expand the rights of voters across our country.” In a rally at the Texas capitol building, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas) referred to the supporters of SB 7 as “terrorists.”

Empire State Today reports that SB 7 will offer two weeks of early voting, roll back drive-thru and 24-hour voting, mandate a state ID or Social Security number requirement for all mail-in ballots and change the legal burden for voter fraud from “beyond a reasonable doubt” to “by a preponderance of the evidence.”

“Obviously, every single Democrat, including myself, felt that we needed to kill that bill. We thought it was bad,” Raymond told The Texan.

The bill has drawn fire from Democrats who argue that these measures are part of an ongoing attempt by Republicans to institute voter suppression that disproportionately affects black and Hispanic voters. 

"Today, Texas legislators put forth a bill that joins Georgia and Florida in advancing a state law that attacks the sacred right to vote," President Joe Biden said in a May 29 White House statement. "It’s part of an assault on democracy that we’ve seen far too often this year—and often disproportionately targeting black and brown Americans."

According to the Lone Star Standard, Texas voting laws are not restrictive when compared to those of other states. Texas allows absentee voting for a variety of reasons, including being sick, disabled, confined to jail or out of town. Texas also permits two weeks of early voting – five more days of voting than are allowed in New York, which requires a minimum of nine days.

A NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll of 1,115 adults found that 79% of respondents believe voters should be required to show government-issued photo identification whenever they vote.