My colleagues and I are putting it all on the line for voting rights, and that’s why I’m writing to you today.
Last week, we Democrats in the Texas House broke quorum and left the state in order to stop action on a bill inspired by Trump’s Big Lie – a bill designed to create barriers to voting for millions of mostly Black and Brown voters.
Now that we’ve done this, we’ve been told in no uncertain terms that if we set foot back in the state of Texas, we will be arrested on the order of Governor Abbott and the Republican leaders of the Texas House.
I’m OK with being arrested – because this democracy is ours, and my constituents hired me to protect it. But our democracy is under attack in Texas and across the country, and the only way to win this fight is by electing Democratic legislators who’ll do what it takes to save it.
The sad thing about this situation is that there’s so much we should be doing in our legislature. Our schools need funding, and Medicaid needs expanding, and at least 210 Texans died just a few months ago because our power grid failed in the middle of a blizzard – we should be doing something about that.
But under the rules Gov. Abbott set for this special session, we’re actually prohibited from passing laws about any of those things. Our options were to stay and let Republicans undermine our democracy, or leave and protect it – so we left.
I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but you have a central role to play, Jake. People all over America are stepping up to fight for our democracy, and we need your support to win this fight at the ballot box.
Thanks,
Rep. James Talarico
Texas House – 52nd District
