Congressional committee holds hearing on Texas voting rights
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. House Oversight and Reform’s Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee held a hearing regarding voting bills in Texas on Thursday.
The hearing entitled “Democracy in Danger: The Assault on Voting Rights in Texas” featured the testimony of several Texas lawmakers.
They are among a group of Texas Democrats who flocked to D.C. earlier this month to break quorum on state election legislation backed by Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican.
In powerful testimony, Texas Rep. Senfronia Thompson recalled having to pay a poll tax because she is Black and she recalled not being allowed to vote in primaries.
She said she left Texas to protect her constituents' right to vote.
"You damn right I left Texas,” Thompson said. "I left Texas to give my people the right to be able to vote without them being infringed upon.”
The Texas Democrats have been visiting with members of Congress, but still have no commitment of a meeting with President Joe Biden.
If they stay out of Texas through next week, Democrats will have run out the clock on the current special session and the GOP’s latest restrictive voting bill — but Abbott has already promised to immediately call another.
