Opinion: Texas Democrats have demonstrated that a minority that’s actually interested in legislating doesn’t need a “filibuster” to stop an out-of-control majority
Earlier this week, Democrats in the Texas House broke quorum, preventing a vote on a Texas voting bill that many have referred to as Jim Crow 2.0. The move did more than prevent Texas from becoming the latest state to restrict voting rights based on Trump’s Big Lie, although it certainly did that. It also showed that minority legislators have tools to stop a reckless majority when the stakes are high enough.
First, there is a proper role for a minority caucus to play in preventing an out-of-control majority from abusing its power, but it has nothing to do with an archaic filibuster that lacks accountability. In spite of these efforts, the Republican majority in Texas repeatedly used tactics designed to prevent the minority party from fully engaging. These tactics included releasing versions of bills and the conference committee report with little time for legislators to review what were often significant and lengthy modifications.
Second, when dealing with an opposition which has proven that it is committed to maintaining its power at all costs, you cannot hold back because of potentially negative consequences in the future. In so doing, and with millions of voters having been inspired by their actions, they may find themselves in a stronger position to avoid a special session, or to defeat future voter suppression attempts, than had theyThe same applies to the battle over federal voting rights legislation and the demand to end the filibuster. There are those who worry that ending the filibuster will open the door for Republicans to do bad things if and when they regain power.
While the decision by Democratic legislators to break quorum has received the bulk of the attention in recent days, it should not be forgotten that the stage had been set by months of grassroots organizing ahead of the walkout. Organizations such as the Texas Organizing Project, MOVE Texas and many others had been attending hearings, texting voters and facilitating phone calls to legislators.
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