Statement on Texas House Democrats fighting back against blatant gerrymandering

I stand firmly with the Texas House Democrats in their effort to block passage of gerrymandered congressional maps that will blatantly disenfranchise voters across their state.

According to the Texas Tribune, more than 50 Texas House Democrats left the state Sunday afternoon (August 3) to deny the House a quorum — the number of people necessary for the chamber to advance legislation — and delay passage of a new congressional map.

“The current congressional map, drawn by a Republican-dominated Legislature in 2021, has netted 25 GOP seats in the last two elections. But after pressure from President Donald Trump’s team, Abbott directed lawmakers to redraw the map during the special legislative session, which started July 21. Last week, the House proposed new congressional lines dividing up existing districts in Austin, Houston and Dallas with the aim of netting five more Republican seats,” the Texas Tribune has reported.

I admire the conviction and courage of the Texas House Democrats, as they resist what has become an almost constant assault on democracy. It reminds me of the same courage shown by a group of Wisconsin Democrats who fled to Illinois back in 2011 in fighting against the passage of Act 10, the GOP legislation which significantly limited the collective bargaining rights of most public employees, restricting negotiations to base wage increases limited to the rate of inflation.

Voting rights are sacred to all Americans, and have been fought for across generations and must be protected against such blatant anti-democratic efforts.

The Texas House Democrats are showing they will not stand down on such a vital core issue, and for that, I applaud their commitment and their grit.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.