{"id":30617,"date":"2021-06-17T14:26:14","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T14:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/colorlines.madeostudio.com\/article\/texas-lawmakers-meet-vp-harris-and-congressional-democrats-push-voting-rights-legislation\/"},"modified":"2021-06-17T14:26:14","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T14:26:14","slug":"texas-lawmakers-meet-vp-harris-and-congressional-democrats-push-voting-rights-legislation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/article\/texas-lawmakers-meet-vp-harris-and-congressional-democrats-push-voting-rights-legislation\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Lawmakers Meet with VP Harris and Congressional Democrats to Push Voting Rights Legislation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Texas Lawmakers Meet with VP Harris and Congressional Democrats to Push Voting Rights Legislation<\/h3>\n

\n By Shani Saxon<\/span> Jun 17, 2021<\/span>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Democratic Texas state lawmakers are in Washington D.C. this week in order to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and congressional Democrats. Although these meetings are largely symbolic, the group of Texas lawmakers are pressuring their party to pass sweeping voting rights and election reform bills, NPR reports. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The expansive<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>For the People Act<\/span><\/span><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, or H.R.1, is currently stalled in the Senate, and Democrats have failed to unite over a strategy to overcome the opposition. As Colorlines previously<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>reported<\/span><\/span><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The landmark bill, which passed in the House on March 3, would \u201ccurb voter suppression and make it easier for all Americans to register to vote and cast a ballot,\u201d according to<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> The Brennan Center.<\/span><\/span><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> It would also \u201coutlaw partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts\u201d and \u201coverhaul our campaign finance laws to amplify the voices of ordinary Americans.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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The group of more than a dozen state legislatures from Texas, who on Tuesday, June 15, had a \"very robust conversation\" with Harris, according to<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ABC News<\/span><\/span><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, acknowledged that the Senate is a huge hurdle to overcome, but Democrats have to keep fighting. \"We know it’s a priority for the administration but quite frankly it lies in the Senate,\" State Sen. Carol Alvarado, the chair of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>said<\/span><\/span><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> after the meeting at the White House Wednesday.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Harris expressed her admiration for the state lawmakers, calling them \"courageous leaders\" for staging a walkout in the Texas statehouse last month, which denied Republicans a quorum they needed in order to pass a restrictive voting bill, according to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>NPR<\/span><\/span><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. The group was celebrated by voting rights activists and Democrats across the country. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\"We are not asking for the bestowal of a right. We are talking about the preservation of the right, that is the right of citizenship,\"<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> Harris<\/span><\/span><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> said while meeting with the Texas lawmakers. \"When I look at that, and the — the fact that Americans are at risk of losing their access to their right … we know we have a great challenge in front of us and therefore fight.\"<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The right to vote is fundamental in our democracy. Today, I met with Texas state legislators to discuss how we can stop legislation that will make it harder for Americans to exercise their right to vote. pic.twitter.com\/Mxpd9oVF4Y<\/a><\/p>\n

rn\u2014 Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) June 16, 2021<\/a>
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