Democratic lawmakers in Texas fled the state on Monday, in their latest attempt to block a new law restricting voting from being passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature, and headed to Washington for nationwide attention, the New York Times reported.
The group left Austin yesterday on two planes that arrived at Dulles International Airport before sunrise today, and delegation leaders said that 51 of the 67 Democrats in the state House of Representatives were on board the two planes, while others arrived separately in Washington, which is enough to prevent Texas Republicans from Achieving a quorum to start the work of the council.
The quickly arranged departure added a cinematic element to the partisan battle in a state with a vital political history. Democrats have fled to neighboring states before in an attempt to block legislation, including in 2003 when they traveled to New Mexico and Oklahoma to try to avoid Republican attempts to redraw congressional districts.
The New York Times said the move could paralyze the legislature for weeks if Democrats stay out of the state until the end of the special session in August.
Nevertheless, it reveals the limited options they have in the long run in the legislature, in which Republicans have a majority in both chambers. The newspaper pointed out that parliamentary procedures and attempts to add amendments could postpone the process, but it would not cancel it. The Republicans said the Democrats' maneuvering would eventually fail.
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