Other legislators join Texas Dems' protest in DC

Decamped Texas Democrats are being joined by more than 100 state legislators from about 20 states to press for a voting rights bill in Congress this week while the special legislative session called by Texas Governor Greg Abbott will pass by the end of this week.

Planned as "week of action", the Democratic legislators are conducting a series of events hoping to persuade the US Senate to pass the For the People Act, the Democratic voting and election bill.

The weeklong events are organized by Declaration for American Democracy, a coalition of activist groups in favor of the For the People Act which would set voting standards and overhaul campaign finance and ethics rules. It has failed to garner the support of 60 senators needed to pass.

Some state legislators are from states where voting bills have been passed, such as Georgia, Florida and Arizona.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, as of July 14, at least 18 states enacted 30 laws that restrict access to voting this year. In total, more than 400 bills with provisions restricting voting access have been introduced in 49 states in the 2021 legislative sessions.

About 50 Texas Democratic members of the Texas House have been in Washington to break the quorum to block Texas Republican-backed voting restrictive bills since July 12. Several Texas Democrats had tested positive for the coronavirus while in Washington but have since had negative test results.

While in Washington, the Texas Democrats have met with some Congress members and Vice-President Kamala Harris to push for passing the For the People Act.

In Texas, a special session can't last longer than 30 days, and this Friday is the last day for the current special session, which has been grounded by the decamped Democrats.

Abbott has vowed to call continuous special sessions until the elections bill passes. He also said the next one will begin the day after this one ends.

Neither Republicans nor Democrats appear to be in the mood for dialogue and negotiation.

Republicans said they have already compromised plenty on the legislation, while Democrats are distrustful of both the policy driving the legislation and their Republican colleagues, after seeing how they have managed the process around the bill so far, reported the Texas Tribune.