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Legislative Actions

In a message dated 2/3/2009 6:01:11 P.M. Central Standard Time, yellowdog@txdemocrats.org writes:

Dear fellow Democrat,

The Legislature is back in session and your action is needed now.

Many of you remember the courageous fight our Democratic legislators waged against vote suppression legislation in 2007. Despite tremendous pressure from Republican legislators, Democrats in our State House and Senate stood firm in defending our voting rights against a "Voter ID" proposal that would have done nothing to prevent voter fraud.

In the State Senate, the Voter ID battle was ultimately won when Sen. Mario Gallegos left his sick-bed after a liver transplant, risking his own health to block legislation that would have disenfranchised countless Texans. In stark contrast to his courage, Lt. Governor Dewhurst and Senate Republicans opened the first day of the session with a cowardly partisan power play, forcing a rules change to allow one and only one bill - Voter ID - to come up for debate without the Senate's traditional 2/3's rule requirement.

To underscore their purely partisan intent, Senate Republicans voted time and again against Democratic amendments to elevate public education, health care, tuition regulation and important job and pocketbook issues to the priority status they assigned to their vote suppression agenda.

On the heels of this brazenly partisan power play, it is likely that Senate will take up the Republican vote suppression agenda first. We know our Democratic Senators will stand strong against this divisive power play - but they need your support.

Contact your Texas State Senator today. Tell him or her to vote against so-called "Voter ID" legislation.

Make no mistake: Photo Voter ID may sound reasonable, but it is nothing more than a nationally-orchestrated Republican vote suppression agenda.

• Despite spending millions to pursue "voter fraud," Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott did not identify or prosecute a single case of "voter impersonation" at the polls - the only kind of voter fraud that would be addressed by Voter ID legislation.

• Nonpartisan studies show that voter impersonation is indeed rare, but that Voter ID requirements suppress turnout among the elderly, the poor and people of color - those less likely to have photo ID and those more likely to vote for Democrats.

• Every major Texas newspaper has editorialized against photo Voter ID legislation.
  
• Our Democratic lawmakers are ready to work across the aisle to solve real problems - but when Republicans change the rules for partisan purposes they create more problems and show why they have failed as a majority party.

Thank you for contacting your Texas State Senator about this critical issue. Your Texas Democratic Party will keep you apprised of developments in the fight against vote suppression as well as other important issues as the Legislative Session progresses.

Your friend and fellow Democrat,

Boyd L. Richie

Find your Representatives and Senators here.