We speak with one of the Texas Democrats who has fled the state to block the Republican-dominated Legislature from passing new voter restrictions in the battleground state, which already has some of the toughest voting rules in the country. Without the Democratic lawmakers, the Texas House won’t have enough members present to reach a quorum. “Republicans have simply turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to the needs of the citizens of Texas,” says Texas state Representative Jarvis Johnson. “We realized at that point there was no more negotiation that could be done, and we took the last tool in our toolbox.” We also speak with Gilberto Hinojosa, chair of the Texas Democratic Party, who says the Texas legislation’s aim is to “suppress the Hispanic, Mexican American and the African American vote.”
