Democrats hoping to stall a GOP-sponsored restrictive election bill ended a 38-day walkout on 19 August, allowing the legislature to reach a quorum, after a week earlier the Republican-led state Senate passed their version of the voting bill after a 15-hour filibuster by one of the Senate’s leading Democrats. Sen. Carol Alvardo.
The Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives has advanced a new restrictive voting bill after months of protests by Democrats that were slammed by Gov. Gregg Abbott as inflicting “harm on the very Texans who elected them to serve”, reported The Texas Tribune.
The almost 50-page bill that contains a raft of changes to the state’s election code passed the Texas House on a 79-37 mostly party-line vote.
Among other things, it prohibits 24-hour and drive-through voting, blocks local election officials from sending out absentee ballot applications to voters who don’t request one, and states that partisan poll watchers appointed by campaigns and political parties cannot be denied “free movement” at voting sites.
Now the bill moves to the Texas senate, which has already passed a similar version, after which it will go to the desk of Texas governor Greg Abbott, who has vowed to swiftly approve it.
Dems Slam ‘Assault on Democracy’
The legislation comes as part of a nationwide effort by Republicans to push the voting system reform in the wake of claims by former President Donald Trump that the November 2020 presidential elections had been marred by “fraud” and “rigging” to favor his rival – Democrat Joe Biden.
In an attempt to fight the Texas bill Democrats in the state legislature first blocked the legislation by walking out of the state Capitol in May.
Abbott responded by vowing to veto Article 10 of the budget, which funds the legislative branch. The governor slammed the failure of the bill at the time as “deeply disappointing”.
In July, state lawmakers left their posts and headed for Washington to halt Republican restrictive voting bills built on what they branded as former President Donald Trump’s “fraud lies”. The move had prompted Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan to sign civil arrest warrants for the 52 House Democrats in a bid to compel their return.
Democrats and President Joe Biden have lambasted the legislation that restricts voting access as “un-American.”
“Texas legislators put forth a bill that joins Georgia and Florida in advancing a state law that attacks the sacred right to vote… It’s part of an assault on democracy that we’ve seen far too often this year — and often disproportionately targeting Black and Brown Americans,” said Biden in May.
Measures included in the bill, such as banning drive-through and 24-hour voting, according to an estimate by the Texas Civil Rights Project, were predominantly used by either Black, Hispanic or Asian voters in 2020.
The current advance of the bill comes after Democrats ended their 38-day walkout, giving the House the required two-thirds of members necessary for a quorum.
Last week, the Texas Senate passed its version of the election overhaul bill, SB1, after a 15-hour filibuster from Democratic state Sen. Carol Alvarado.
“Senate Bill 1 slowly, but surely, chips away at our democracy. It adds, rather than removes, barriers for Texas seniors, persons with disabilities, African Americans, Asian, and Latino voters from the political process. LBJ said the Voting Rights Act stripped away the last major shackle of the fierce ancient bond of slavery,” Alvarado testified.
‘Preventing Fraud, Increasing Voting Access’
Republicans argue the new bill is necessary to bring uniformity and boost faith in the US electoral system.
GOP Texas Sen. Bryan Hughes, who authored the bill, touted it as making it easier to vote and dismissed Democrats’ concerns.
“It cracks down on those vote harvesters, those paid political operatives who try to coerce voters, who try to mislead voters, who try to get in between the voter and her ballot,” said Hughes prior to the filibuster by Sen. Carol Alvarado, as reported by the Texas Tribune.
Andrew Murr, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure would prevent fraud, increase voting access, and help prevent ballot secrecy. Subsequently, in mid-August the Texas Senate recorded an 18-11, party-line vote in favor of passing SB 1. Since then, lack of quorum in the House prevented further advance on the legislation.
Now, Democratic Reps. Garnet Coleman, Ana Hernandez and Armando Walle have released a joint statement explaining their return to the floor.
They stated they were “proud of the heroic work” accomplished by breaking quorum but added that “now, we continue the fight on the House floor.”
Joe Rogan opposes forced vaccinations for fans, will fully refund show tickets for anyone who won’t comply with NYC mandate
Comedian and podcast host Joe Rogan will fully refund any fans who bought tickets to his upcoming show in New York City but do not want to comply with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s vaccine requirements to attend.
Rogan said on his podcast last week that he’s sold 13,000 tickets for his stand-up comedy show at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Oct. 2, but was worried because he personally opposes vaccine requirements and New York City has mandated that residents show proof of vaccination to go out in public, including entertainment venues.
“I don’t know what to do, I’m stuck in this situation,” Rogan complained.
Sticking with his principles, the comedian said that any fan who wants a refund because they refuse to get vaccinated and can’t make the show will get one.
“If someone has an ideological or physiological reason for not getting vaccinated, I don’t want to force them to get vaccinated to see a f***ing stupid comedy show,” Rogan said. “And now they say that everybody has to be vaccinated, and I want everybody to know that you can get your money back.”
Earlier in August, Rogan railed against vaccine passports, arguing that coercing people to get vaccinated would bring the United States “one step closer to a dictatorship.”
“That’s what’s going to happen with the vaccine passport,” he said. “That’s what’s going to happen if they close borders. You can’t enter New York City unless you have your papers. You can’t go here unless you have that. You can’t get on a plane unless you do what I say,” Rogan said on his podcast, predicting that the government is “not going to give that power up.”
His comments were heavily criticized on social media, with some calling for Spotify to deplatform Rogan for spreading “disinformation” on vaccines.
But despite what his critics say, Rogan has insisted that he is not anti-vaccine. Back in April, he explained that he thought people who were at low-risk of serious illness from COVID-19 and believe they don’t need the vaccine should be free to make the choice for themselves.
“I am not an anti-vax person,” Rogan said. “In fact, I said I believe they are safe and I encourage many people to take them. I just said if you’re a young, healthy person, you don’t need it. Their argument was you need it for other people. But that’s a different conversation. And yes, that makes sense.”
He added: “But if you’re like 21 years old, and you say to me, ‘Should I get vaccinated?’ I’ll go, ‘No.’ Are you healthy? Are you a healthy person? Like, look, don’t do anything stupid, but you should take care of yourself.”
“You should — if you’re a healthy person, and you’re exercising all the time, and you’re young, and you’re eating well, like, I don’t think you need to worry about this,” he said.