State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) joined Texas House Democrats effort to break quorum when the House of Representatives reconvenes Tuesday morning by leaving the state.
Texas Democrats announced Monday they were leaving the state in an attempt to block Republican-led voting legislation from being passed during the current special-called legislative session. At least 51 of the 67 Democratic representatives — the number needed to break quorum — were in the process of leaving the state Monday afternoon with a majority boarding a chartered flight from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Washington D.C., according to The Texas Tribune.
“The decision to leave the state was not an easy one, but I know that this is the only way to keep the harmful legislation that Governor Abbott has prioritized for the special session from passing,” Zwiener said in a statement. “I do not take this move lightly, and it is with a heavy heart that I leave my community — but I know that this is necessary to do right by them. The freedom to vote is sacred. Without it, Texans can’t advocate for their interests to be represented in D.C. and Austin. We are taking the fight to Washington, D.C., where Congress must pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to protect not just Texans, but all Americans.”
