AUSTIN – Senator Carol Alvarado began filibustering the GOP-backed electoral law on Wednesday, a move that is likely to delay but not kill the passage of the legislation.
Legislation “is slowly but surely hacking our democracy to pieces,” said Alvarado, D-Houston, when she began her speech shortly before 6:00 pm. ”
Alvarado kicked off the filibuster when the bill came up for final approval in the Senate, which means the debate could last late into the night – or beyond.
The move puts the Senate Democrats in the spotlight. So far, the main focus has been on House Democrats, who fled the state en masse to block the passage of laws they denounced as voter suppression.
The Senate has a quorum in both special sessions.
On Wednesday the House of Representatives was still tight enough to do business of any kind. That afternoon, the House Sergeant-at-Arms began issuing arrest warrants to 52 fugitive Democrats for withdrawal. No one was arrested.
It remains to be seen how long Alvarados Filibuster will last. She cannot lean against her desk, eat, drink, or use the toilet while speaking. Any mistake could raise a point of order that would put an end to the effort.
When it started just before 6 p.m., Lt. Gov Dan Patrick Alvarado insists that your comments cannot deviate from the content of the bill.
The legislation would block 24-hour and drive-through votes, passed by Harris County last year to increase turnout in the pandemic and popular with Black, Latin American and Asian voters. It would give election observers more freedom to move around a polling station and punish election officials for denying entry or blocking their view. There would also be new requirements for voting by postal vote and for voters.
Republicans say their legislation is necessary to secure elections and simply makes it “harder to cheat”.
Senator Bryan Hughes, a Mineola Republican who drafted the bill, said victims of postal voting fraud “are crying out for help.”
“I’m not going to ignore their screams just because they don’t fit the national narrative,” he said. “We will protect this right to vote for every Texas voter.”
However, the Democrats claim that doing so would make voting more difficult and based on the lie that electoral fraud is widespread.
Before Alvarado started their filibuster, the GOP-led Senate tentatively approved the bill on Wednesday after making some changes. One called for by advocates of disability rights would allow voters to troubleshoot their postal voting issues online rather than having to do so in person.
Senator Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said the change would benefit a number of voters, including military personnel who send in ballots from overseas.
Republicans blocked several other amendments proposed by Democrats. One of Senator Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, would have all Texans with a valid driver’s license or government-issued ID register online to vote. Another from Senator Royce West, D-Dallas, was looking for a disparity study.
Legislation cannot go any further until the House has a quorum.
Alvarado’s filibuster is reminiscent of that of another Texas state senator, Wendy Davis of Fort Worth. On June 25, 2013, Davis spoke for 13 hours to block an abortion restriction law. She killed the bill by talking about the midnight deadline to end the special legislative session. The bill was eventually passed in a second special session, but Davis caught national attention and the move helped launch her unsuccessful candidacy for governor against Greg Abbott in 2014.
When the Sergeant-at-Arms was issuing arrest warrants, the Capitol side halls were quiet and the offices mostly empty. Department of Public Safety officers in plain clothes escorted the two Sergeants-at-Arms patrolling the halls, not without a sense of urgency.
House Sergeant at Arms has just issued an arrest warrant for Ina Minjarez in her Capitol building. They go to the offices of all 52 MPs in the House with arrest warrants they are now handing over. #txlege pic.twitter.com/cYtF6CDO60
– Morgan O’Hanlon (@mcohanlon) August 11, 2021
At least one member of the Democratic House, Houston MP Gene Wu, is safe from arrest for the time being. He successfully filed an arrest warrant on Wednesday essentially overturning the warrant for his arrest.
Even without arrests, Democrats risk losing their quorum if more members break out of their ranks and return to the plenary.
The list of Democrats for whom arrest warrants were issued included several moderates – San Antonio’s Philip Cortez, Sergio Muñoz, and Leo Pacheco – who crossed the line between wanting to negotiate with their Republican counterparts and trying to pass the electoral law block, have complied.
The Pacheco chief of staff said Wednesday morning he plans to be in the House of Representatives on Thursday and the representative has contacted the spokesman. As for Cortez and Muñoz, it was unclear when or if they wanted to return to the Chamber. During the first special session, which ended last week, Cortez returned to the Chamber for a few days to work with Republicans to make changes to electoral legislation before eventually returning to his Washington counterparts. An arrest warrant was issued against him at this point, separate from the one signed last night by House Speaker Dade Phelan.
Some Democrats began using their arrest warrants to raise funds.
“I have a warrant for my arrest for standing up for your right to vote,” Carrollton Rep. Michelle Beckley tweeted Wednesday, linking a fundraising website to her campaign for the US Congress – she is currently running for a seat in the 24th congressional district of the state.
Here is the list of members with arrest warrants: Alma Allen, Rafael Anchía, Michelle Beckley, Diego Bernal, Rhetta Bowers, John Bucy, Liz Campos, Jasmine Crockett, Sheryl Cole, Nicole Collier, Phillip Cortez, Yvonne Davis, Joe Deshotel, Alex Dominguez , Trey Martinez Fischer, Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, Jessica González, Vikki Goodwin, Ana Hernandez, Gina Hinojosa, Donna Howard, Celia Israel, Ann Johnson, Jarvis Johnson, Julie Johnson, Ray Lopez, Mando Martinez, Terry Meza, Ina Minjarez, Christina Morales, Penny Morales Shaw, Sergio Muñoz, Victoria Neave, Claudia Ordaz Perez, Lina Ortega, Leo Pacheco, Mary Ann Perez, Ana-Maria Ramos, Richard Peña Raymond, Ron Reynolds, Eddie Rodriguez, Ramon Romero Jr., Toni Rose, Jon Rosenthal, Carl Sherman Sr., Shawn Thierry, Senfronia Thompson, Chris Turner, Hubert Vo, Armando Walle, Gene Wu and Erin Zwiener.
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