Today, Texas House Democrats left the state Capitol to prevent HB 3, a voter suppression bill, from advancing. The legislation would have made it more difficult for Texans to vote, particularly seniors and those with disabilities. 

Statement from Anthony Gutierrez, Common Cause Texas Executive Director  

Voting and elections are the very heart and soul of our democracy.  

There is nothing more sacred than every voter’s right to cast a ballot and be heard by their government on Election Day— no matter where you live, how much money you make, the political party you belong to, or the color of your skin.  

Yet here in Texas, Governor Abbot and Republican leadership in the state legislature are waging a war on our right to vote. Texas is already the toughest state in which to vote and still, Republican state leaders worked to strip away the freedom to vote in the middle of the night while most Texans were asleep this past weekend.  

The Republicans’ voter suppression bill would make it even more difficult to vote, especially for senior, disabled, and low-income Texans. The bill is designed to confuse voters to keep us from casting a ballot and having our vote counted. It is every single Texans’ constitutionally protected right to vote and Governor Abbot and Republican leaders’ attempts to take that right away is shameful. 

But today, Texas Democrats are showing America what it looks like to fight like hell for our voting rights. They are using every tool available because they know there is nothing more important than preserving our democracy so every Texan can have their voice be heard by their government. 

In America, what state you live in should not determine whether you have the right to vote. The For The People Act is the solution we need to end these anti-democratic voter suppression tactics happening here in Texas and across the country. 

But Texas is just one example. Voters in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and countless others are also facing Republican-led schemes to strip away our voting rights.  

Voters cannot afford to wait any longer for Congress to take action. If we believe in free and fair elections, then we have to fight for them.  

Texas Democrats have led by example, doing whatever it takes to preserve our democracy. Now it’s time for Congress to do the same.