Texas — In a courageous and historic move, Texas House Democrats were left with no other choice but to leave the state in order to deny Governor Abbott and Republicans a quorum to pass their voter suppression legislation. Texas College Democrats, with the full support of College Democrats of America (CDA), wholeheartedly supports and endorses the bold and brave actions of the Texas House Democratic members.
"In the face of a special session intended to serve nothing else but further the big lie spread by the former president and the Republican Party, Texas Democrats are once again proving what we in Texas already know: Democrats are the only party who believe in our democracy,” said J.J. Martinez, president of the Texas College Democrats.
“Texas Republicans have thrown away the rule book and utilized their positions of power to undermine the rights of millions of Texans, particularly Texans of color,” said Gabrielle Harris, national president of CDA. “As a nationally elected Democratic leader from Texas, I am proud to be a Texas Democrat today. Democratic legislators are standing up for democracy and for voting rights, particularly the rights of Black and Brown communities who for too long have been targeted by Texas Republican leadership. It’s no secret what Republicans are trying to do. This bill is not to ‘protect democracy’ – it is geared to prevent Black and Brown communities from voting because Republicans believe there is no other way they can win.”
Texas Republicans’ latest series of voter suppression bills would heavily restrict mail-in and early voting, bolster voter ID requirements, and increase protection for partisan poll watchers, as well as institute criminal penalties for violations – all of which experts say will disproportionately affect communities of color. These bills are not the first of their kind, and they will certainly not be the last.
The prevalence of these bills in state legislatures and the committedness of state Republicans to suppress voting rights is downright alarming. This is why Texas College Democrats, along with CDA, endorse the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) recently announced a $25 million investment in their “I Will Vote” campaign targeted at protecting voting rights across the country. To support the work Texas Democrats and the DNC are fighting for, visit iwillvote.com to check voter registration or make a donation.
Press Contacts
Marcus Coppola
National Director of Communications, College Democrats of America
mmarcus.coppola@collegedems.org
Hector Mendez
Director of Communications, Texas College Democrats
hmendez@txcollegedems.org
Hannah Holtz
Press Secretary, Texas College Democrats
press@txcollegedems.org