Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives blocked a vote Sunday on an election reform bill that would allegedly make it more difficult for minorities to vote. A bail bill also died in the house because of the walk-out.

Senate Bill 7 would limit early voting hours and add more restrictions to voting by mail. Voters would be required to provide identification for mail-in ballots. Texas House Bill 20 would have made it more difficult for individuals in jail to get released without cash. It also would have limited the ability of charitable funds to post bond for individuals.

The Democrats reportedly walked out of the session with just over an hour before the midnight deadline to pass legislation in this session. The house went into recess until 10 AM on Monday. Republican members said that the Democrats walked out to deny the quorum for a vote on Senate Bill 7. HB 20 also died in the house because of the walk out.

On the boycott, Republican Speaker Dade Phelan stated that that the members chose to:

disrupt the legislative process by abandoning the legislative chamber before our work was done. In doing so, these members killed a number of strong, consequential bills with broad bipartisan support including legislation to ban no-knock warrants, reform our bail system, and invest in the mental health of Texans – items that their colleagues and countless advocates have worked hard to get to this point.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott strongly supports the bill and considered election integrity and bail reform to be “must-pass emergency items” for the legislative session. Abbott said that bail legislation will be considered in a special session.

Texas is just one of many US states attempting to restrict voting rights following the 2020 general election. According to a report by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, 14 states have enacted 22 laws in 2021 that restrict voting access and make it more difficult for Americans to vote.