大俠行天下日記 我見我聞我思 07/14

我見我思我聞

德州議會 政治混戰

五十一位德州眾議員週一搭乘包機從德州首府奧斯丁飛往首都華盛頓，主要是對抗共和黨要强行通過的最新投票案。

在州議會中佔有六十七席的民主黨，希望他們的缺席無法在議會中達到三分之二的出席人數， 而使法案無法進行表決。

州長艾伯特已經下令要把他們逮捕強制回到議會， 並且堅持如果大會流會， 他將繼續再度召集臨時議會來討論和通過新的投票法案，民主黨人在基於少數而無法反制之情形下， 只有逃離議會，使議程無法進行， 他們堅定認為， 這項法案如果通過， 將會嚴重影響到人民行使投票權之權利。

這場政治大戱正代表了民主共和兩黨之對立日愈加深。

德州向來都是共和黨之天下 ，美國參議員代表 、州議會、 州長都是共和黨籍 ，上次總統大選因疫情關系， 大大放寬了投票方式， 以致使民主黨投票數激增， 幾乎造成翻盤， 德州共和黨豈能再次容忍， 因此在此次參眾議院之特別會期中一定要嚴密把關， 來重挫民主黨之锐氣。

Texas Democrats Fight Against Election Law Reform

A charter plane with a load of Texas Democratic house members took off from Austin and landed in the nation’s capital. They are attempting to fight against the passage of one of the nation’s most stringent voting laws.

What the Democrats did by leaving the state was to rob Republicans in the Texas legislature of a quorum. Republicans pledged to do everything they could to find a legislative workaround for the lack of quorum, but if the Democratic members stay in Washington DC, then the clock will run out for this special session. This means the Democrats will have about a month away at home. If they return to Texas, the governor could have them arrested. But in reality, the governor could call for another special session after this special session, all the way up until the election next year.

Texas Democrats knew that when they took the flight to DC, it was all really about drawing national attention to the voting bill.

Chris Turner, Chairman of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, told reporters that we need the Congress to pass federal voting rights legislation to save our democracy because these Republican attacks will continue to occur over and over again in Texas and across the country.

The Bill 7 which could make mail-in voting more difficult and ban drive-thru voting was introduced during the pandemic in Houston which is a Democratic stronghold.

Today we are facing a big challenge in Texas politics. Many Democrats live in the big cities such as Houston and San Antonio. Now we are having more and more minorities move into the smaller areas of the state. The minorities now are becoming the majority. Now the whole state is turning to blue and later will control most of the elected officials.

We all hope that both parties will compromise and let the political turmoil come to an end.