Months of partisan battles in Texas concluded late Thursday, as Republican House members passed new voting restrictions, moving the legislation closer to the governor’s desk.
The vote on the nearly 50-page bill, SB1, passed the Texas House 79-37 mostly on party lines and follows unprecedented efforts by Democrats to block it.
In late May, House Democrats staged a dramatic, 11th-hour walkout to stop a vote before the legislative session’s conclusion. GOP Gov. Greg Abbott then called a special session, but dozens of Democrats fled the state, infuriating Republicans and denying them a quorum to conduct business at the state Capitol. The standoff lasted 38 days, until enough Democrats returned to Austin last week, enabling GOP lawmakers to move ahead on their bill.
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