Thread by @TXCivilRights

🚨 HAPPENING NOW🚨

The TX House is beginning debate over voter suppression bill #SB7 — an attack on the state’s most vulnerable voting communities, and companion to #HB6. Watch live now: tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.ph…

Need a refresher on #SB7 and #HB6? We got you covered👇

https://twitter.com/TXCivilRights/status/1375117044828475408

Listening to @jessicafortexas force @BriscoeCain to admit that he simply doesn't believe voters of color, voters with disabilities, and young voters when they say that #SB7 would suppress their votes.

We're experiencing secondhand embarrassment for Rep. Cain as he defends SB7.

Now Chairman Cain is telling @RafaelAnchia that he apparently has no knowledge of the history or details of discrimination against Black Texans by the Texas legislature with regards to voting rights. There's been litigation over this throughout the past decade. #SB7

Chairman Cain says that he is not aware of any disparate impact his bill would have. But we already gave him the data, and that was after he silenced the #txlege Black Caucus from asking questions about the bill's disparate impact.

https://twitter.com/TXCivilRights/status/1375869409919700997

Debate is paused as @TMFtx moves to get an extension on time for members to ask Chairman Cain questions about the bill. A very reasonable request give the broad impact of #SB7...

Extension of time to ask questions is granted! @RafaelAnchia now asking Chairman Cain if he's aware of how #SB7 will affect non-English speaking Texans. Cain claims no one testified on that. Which is a lie.

Chairman Cain is wrong. His bill would vastly expand the powers of partisan poll watchers by preventing them from being removed under most circumstances. And history teaches that those expanded powers will lead to racial discrimination. Here's proof: txcivilrights.org/wp-content/upl…

We're thrilled to see Legislative Black Caucus Chair @NicoleCollier95 actually getting to speak and ask questions about #SB7, a welcome change after Chairman Cain shut her down in the hearing on this bill's companion.

We've moved on to amendments to the bill. First one is by @jessicafortexas- it basically stops #SB7 from ever going into effect, which we would deeply appreciate!

"I'm going to trust that you know election law since you're the chair of the Elections Committee."

Pretty big assumption there, Rep. Johnson. 👀

Representative Ann Johnson just walked through how Cain's bill can be interpreted, and he just dismisses it as "that would never happen."
That'll be cold comfort to the people wrongly prosecuted and imprisoned under his bill. #SB7

Now @ChrisGTurner is connecting the dots between #SB7, Texas' long history of racist voter suppression, and The Big Lie spreading throughout the nation about voter fraud. This bill is part of the wave of anti-voter bills being introduced in places like Georgia.

Rep. Turner has moved on to the partisan poll watchers piece of #SB7, speaking to the history of political parties sending white poll watchers to traditionally Black or Latine polling places, where they could intimidate them.

The amendment to avoid enacting #SB7 into law has failed. Now @ChrisGTurner has called a point of order on the bill in an effort to take it down (a point of order says that a bill has broken a legislative rule and needs to stop being considered).