Today, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Texas Democratic Party announced they are challenging a law that would eliminate straight-ticket voting and suppress minority voters.
Following reports this week of voters waiting hours to cast their ballot and facing the prospect of historic turnout in 2020, Texas Republicans have passed a law that, if implemented, threatens to drive up already-high wait times at polling places. A consequence that disproportionately impacts African American and Hispanic voters who are not only more likely to use straight-ticket voting, but whose communities already face greater obstacles to voting. Both, a violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act. After leading a successful push to protect voting rights in Texas, Democrats are filing suit today to prevent this law from going into effect.
In response to the litigation filed today, members of the Texas Democratic Congressional Delegation stated the following:
“All roads to keeping and expanding our House majority will run through Texas,” said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. “We know that Texas is shifting blue and Republicans can’t accept this reality, that’s why they continue plotting ways to suppress historically disenfranchised Tejanos. I’m glad to see that the DCCC, DSCC, and Texas Democratic Party have joined together to challenge this injustice. Now more than ever, we must continue to fight Republican attacks in the courts and continue working to build political power in the Lone Star State.”
“Many of us have long been working on turning Texas blue, and I’ve never been more hopeful than I am for 2020,” said Congresswoman Veronica Escobar. “It’s clear Republicans can’t accept that Texas is rapidly shifting so they continue to do everything they can to make voting more difficult for minority communities and to suppress historically disenfranchised communities. That’s why as Democrats, we will continue to fight these obstacles in the courts and assure our voters that we are with them from now to the day they go to the polls and beyond.”
“Republicans are at it again with their attempts to thwart the will of the people at the ballot box,” said Congressman Marc Veasey. “Texans deserve free, fair and easy options to vote. Democrats will fight Republicans’ frivolous crusade to interrupt our basic rights.”
“It’s clear that Republicans have given up on winning elections fairly and are dead-set on using every trick in the book to make it harder to vote, and to suppress the vote” said Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee. “Democrats will combat any effort to threaten fair elections with the rule-of-law on our side.”
Read the full complaint here. The DCCC and DSCC have made an eight-figure investment in a legal strategy across battleground states, including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas to take on Republicans’ decades-long voters suppression attempts and increase access to the ballot for young people, communities of color and rural voters.
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