This week, Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives walked out of the state capitol, denying the body a quorum as a way to block two new Republican-backed voting laws, SB 1 and HB 3. This was the second Democratic walkout since May, when they fled the state to block the controversial SB 7. None of this should come as a surprise, given Republicans’ cynical policies and hardball tactics.
But there is another layer to the Texas voting rights battle that has little to do with policy and everything to do with the cult of Trump. From the governor’s mansion down to the statehouse floor, the Republican push for these unnecessary, bad-faith bills is a three-layer grift.