Texas GOP’s Constitutional Amendment Diminishes Black and Brown Voting Power

AUSTIN — Over the holiday weekend, Texas lawmakers voted to create a platform that would establish a statewide “electoral college”. The platform includes a call for a constitutional amendment that would require statewide candidates running for office to carry a majority of Texas’ 254 counties to win an election. They plan to finalize the platform today. 

In response, Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas issued the following statement:

“The candidate who gets the most votes should win, period. 

“Requiring statewide candidates to win the popular vote and also win the majority of counties is a thinly-veiled attempt to disenfranchise the millions of Black and Brown Texans who are clustered in our large, metro counties. The people of Texas deserve to have their voices heard and their votes counted.

“This is yet another attempt by Republican politicians to manipulate the outcome of our elections. Common Cause Texas condemns this proposal and will continue to fight for the voting rights of all Texans. ” 

 

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