Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he intends to withhold paychecks to state lawmakers after House Democrats staged a walkout to block voting restrictions proposed by their Republican counterparts.
A large group of Democrats walked out of the House chamber in Austin late Sunday, so there was no quorum and that prevented a final vote on the proposal, Senate Bill 7. The bill, which had appeared poised for passage, would cut back polling hours, reduce access to mail-in voting, and give more authority to partisan poll-watchers.
Voting rights advocates say those and other provisions of the bill would make voting more difficult in Texas, and would disproportionately burden people of color. There’s been no evidence of significant voter fraud in Texas or elsewhere.
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