Kamala Harris Backs Texas Democrat 'Fugitives' Who Fled to Washington to Block GOP Voting Restrictions

Vice President Kamala Harris had expressed her support for Texas Democrats who left their state to prevent the enactment of the controversial voting restrictions bill.

Kamala Harris met with the Texas Democrats on Tuesday, July 13, at the American Federal of Teachers union building in Washington and praised them for their "great sacrifice." The White House did not announce the meeting until minutes before it happened.

The Texas Democratic lawmakers arrived at the Capitol on Tuesday morning as they aim to break quorum to avoid voting on two GOP voting bills they oppose, Daily Mail reported.

During the meeting, Kamala Harris told the lawmakers that she knows what they have done comes with great sacrifice, both personal and political.

She added that defending the right of American people to vote is "as American as apple pie." She said their actions show a courageous stand.

Kamala Harris relates the action of the Texas lawmakers to those who fought for racial equality and voting rights.

President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were criticizing Republicans for voting restrictions and ID laws to which Biden termed "odious and vicious." Harris also compared it to the Voting Rights Act and women's suffrage movements.

The vice president noted that this was not an issue about two political parties. Rather, it is about Americans and how Americans are experiencing this issue.

The Texas Senate approved Tuesday, July 13, the sweeping election reform bill on an 18-4 party-line vote. But the bill will now stall in the House due to the lack of a quorum.

Texas House Against Texas Democrats

Republicans in the Texas State House had also voted 76-4 to arrest the Democrats who had fled the state to Washington D.C. in efforts to break the quorum and impede the passage of voting rights bills.

Texas House rules allow the sergeant-at-arms to arrest members who are not present at the premise for a vote. However, the arrest vote does not stand much as long as the Democrats remain in Washington.

They have escaped jurisdiction of Texas law enforcement as they crossed state lines, according to another Daily Mail report.

Joe Biden has not yet expressed intentions to meet with the runaway lawmakers. However, White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Joe Biden applauds their courage.

Texas State Representative Jasmine Crockett said that she is not worried about the threat of being arrested. Crockett added that she has not committed a crime and that she knows the law. At least 50 House Democrats have boarded two private jets from Austin to Washington, D.C.

Voting Restrictions

The bill in Texas would prohibit 24-hour polling places and expand the authority of partisan poll watchers, BBC News reported. The said bill would also make mail-in voting more difficult and give partisan poll watchers more authority at voting sites.

James Slattery, a senior staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, said voters of color and shift workers benefit from the methods that were being proposed to be banned, NPR reported. Slattery noted that the bans could be considered a direct attack on voters of color in particular.

The bills would also create a set of new criminal penalties and requirements for people needing assistance from voters at the polls.

Texas Republicans said that concerns about election integrity are serious, and should be addressed, despite not showing any evidence of any widespread problem with voting in the state.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Texas Democrats Travel to D.C., Meet With VP Kamala Harris in Attempt to Stop GOP Voting Legislation - From WFAA