Texas governor threatens arrests of Democrats who left

While 51 Democratic lawmakers from Texas sang “We Shall Overcome” at a news conference on Tuesday morning in Washington, the sergeant-at-arms for the Texas House secured the chamber doors in Austin during a special legislative session to prevent more members from leaving. By fleeing the state on Monday, the state House members avoided the quorum necessary to vote on an election bill that would eliminate 24-hour polling places and ballot drop boxes that were allowed during the pandemic. The proposal would also give greater permissions to partisan poll watchers, which Democrats say will intimidate voters.

What happens next? Texas Republicans approved authorities finding and returning lawmakers “under warrant of arrest if necessary,” but state police have no jurisdiction outside Texas. The Democrats said they would stay in Washington until the Texas special session ends on Aug. 7. At the news conference, many of them called on Congress to pass Democrats’ For the People voting reform act—a call President Joe Biden reiterated in a speech on Tuesday. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said he will continue calling special sessions for as long as it takes to pass the voting bill. He also threatened to have the Democratic lawmakers arrested as soon as they returned to the state.

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report on election reform proposals on both sides of the aisle.