For the People Act blocked in U.S. Senate. What does that mean for Texas Democrats?
Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked an election reform bill that Texas Democrats have increasingly called for following the Texas legislative session, but state lawmakers are still pushing for federal action as a special session looms.
U.S. senators voted Tuesday to end debate on the For The People Act, an election reform bill that Texas Democrats said was needed after they killed a state bill that many feared would restrict access to the polls if enacted. The federal bill needed 60 votes in the 50-50 divided chamber to bypass a filibuster.
As she exited the House floor, Vice President Kamala Harris said, “The fight is not over,” but the next steps for state legislators who say they need federal help to prevent laws that make it harder to vote are unclear.
“Without some support from the federal government, the likelihood of Texas Democrats being able to ... stop Republicans in Texas from changing the voting process is pretty small,” said University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus.
Rottinghaus said Texas Democrats had hoped to receive air cover from national Democrats.
“But their difficulty of getting this bill through the Senate underscores how hard Republicans are going to fight against expanding voting rights,” he said. “That’s where the Texas Democrats are kind of stuck, and I think a lot of other Democratic parties across the country are in a similar position.”
Still, Texas Democrats are joining Harris in her call.
Fort Worth U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, in a video shared on Twitter, appeared to be looking ahead to another bill — The John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which sets criteria for which states need Justice Department approval before changing voting practices.
“Eight years ago this week, the Supreme Court gutted the historic Voting Rights Act law and ever since then Republicans have been on a tear to make it harder for our Black and brown communities in the United States of America to exercise their right to vote,” he said. “Even today, they refused to even debate the For the People Act ... We have to have change. Things have to be different in this country.”
State Rep. Chris Turner, a Grand Prairie Democrat, continued to request help from Congress after the vote.
“Texas Republicans are determined to continue in their efforts to pass anti-voter legislation, and we need Congress’ help now,” he said on Twitter. “If U.S. Senate Republicans will not get out of the way, I hope the Democratic majority will find a way to overcome their obstruction.”
State Sen. Beverly Powell said she is hopeful a deal will be struck on a bill that “protects access to the ballot box, ensures fair redistricting practices and protects democracy.” She also urged the U.S. Senate to act quickly on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
“It is too early to say last night’s vote was a setback — it was a reality check that far too many want to restrict access to the ballot box to hold onto their power,” Powell said in a statement.
‘We are out of options’
Texas Democrats have pressed Congress to pass the For the People Act as Gov. Greg Abbott promises to bring lawmakers back to Austin to pass “election integrity” legislation, one of his priority items. Senate Bill 7 was blocked by House Democrats after they broke quorum, killing the bill that would have prohibited 24-hour and drive-thru voting, offered protections for partisan poll watchers and created election-related criminal offenses.
Several lawmakers, including three from Tarrant County, recently traveled to Washington, where they met with Harris and other elected officials to push for the federal legislation. In a news conference with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, State Rep. Nicole Collier, who chairs the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, said a “federal intervention” is needed.
She was among Texas lawmakers to speak at a voting rights rally outside the Texas Capitol over the weekend. As Collier spoke, attendees behind her held signs reading, “protect voting rights” and “voting rights are human rights.”
“Today, we affirm that we will continue to work to preserve our precious right to vote and dare those who are hellbent on taking away from us, to come and take it,” Collier said. “Because we won’t back down. We won’t back off, and we won’t back out.”
The federal legislation as passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would alter a number of procedures related to voting and elections in Texas. It includes same day voter registration and online voter registration, according to a summary from the House’s Democracy Reform Task Force.
The bill aims to create campaign finance reforms, bars states from limiting a person’s ability to vote by mail and would require states to form independent redistricting commissions for congressional redistricting, a task that’s currently left up to the Texas Legislature.
Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas joined their fellow Republicans in voting against the federal legislation. Cruz called the bill a “shameless power grab.” Cornyn raised concerns about the legislation’s constitutionality and said the bill is a “hijacking of a role reserved to the states under the Constitution.”
“I rise today to celebrate a win for the country,” Cruz said Tuesday. “Today the United States rightly failed to advance the Corrupt Politicians Act, meaning that this bill will not come to the Senate floor for a final vote. This is a huge win for the citizens of the United States. This is a huge win for Democracy, and it’s a huge win for the integrity of our elections.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, hundreds of state legislators from across the country wrote to Congressional leaders asking them to pass the For The People Act, as well as the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which hasn’t been filed in the current Congress. The letter points out that nearly 400 bills restricting voting have been introduced in state legislatures across the country, citing the the Brennan Center for Justice. Among those to sign the letter are Collier and Turner, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus.
“We are out of options,” the letter reads. “We need your help.”
Texas Democrats urge Joe Manchin to support measure
Closely watched was how U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, would vote. Manchin has expressed opposition to altering the Senate’s filibuster rule and previously said he opposed the legislation. However, he has since offered changes to the bill, such as provisions for a national voter ID requirement, according to the Associated Press.
Ahead of the vote on whether to advance the bill, Manchin said he’d support bringing the bill up for debate, the AP reported.
“These reasonable changes have moved the bill forward and to a place worthy of debate on the Senate floor,” Manchin said in a statement leading up to the vote.
The news was met with praise from Turner on Twitter.
“Thank you, (Sen. Manchin) for voting to advance voting rights legislation and thanks to all Senate Democrats for your leadership in getting to this point,” Turner said. “Now, Senate Republicans need to allow debate on this important measure. We need federal action immediately.”
During the Sunday rally, Collier said she was part of a group of state lawmakers that met with the West Virginia senator.
“I and four of my legislative colleagues, we sat down with Senator Manchin, and we looked him in his eyes, and we told him, if you don’t act, if Congress does not act, millions of Texans will be left vulnerable and subject to the continued assault on our right to vote,” Collier said.
Turner, who was also part of the meeting with Manchin, said he left feeling encouraged the senator would ultimately support a version of the For the People Act.
“And that’s exactly what ended up happening yesterday,” Turner said.
Lawmakers will soon meet for special session
Lawmakers will head back to Austin for a special session on July 8, but Abbott has not announced an agenda.
A spokesperson for Abbott did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday’s vote in the U.S. Senate and his position on the federal legislation.
“In the Texas Legislature, our strategy does not change,” Powell said in a statement. “We fought late into the night against legislation designed to limit access to the ballot box during the regular session, and the Senate Democratic Caucus will do the same thing in the upcoming special session. Ensuring fair, equitable and safe elections remains a top priority for me and a top priority for Senate Democrats.”
State Rep. Ramon Romero said he’s been encouraged by Speaker Dade Phelan’s recent remarks related to Senate Bill 7 when he showed interest in taking a piecemeal approach to the legislation, rather than one wide-ranging bill. Phelan declined to comment on the federal vote through a spokesperson.
There’s opportunity for both the federal and state legislatures to work in a bipartisan fashion, he said. In Congress, that comes with the consideration of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, Romero said.
“For us here in Texas, it’s going to be to put our gloves on and be prepared to fight that bill on the floor again, when it ever comes, whether it’s now in July or whether it’s in August or September,” Romero said. “But in the meantime... we have to form bipartisan coalitions and say, ‘This is the bill that we all agree on’ and put it back in the hands of the Senate and say, ‘I dare you to not hear this bill or vote against it, because it makes changes and it protects voters.’”
This story was originally published June 22, 2021 at 7:19 PM.
