Austin, Texas — Today, members of the Texas House Elections Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 7 out of committee and afford it a vote by the entire state House Legislature. The bill would harm voters by restricting access to the ballot and silence the voices of Texas’ eligible rising electorate. Below is a statement from Jolt Action’s Executive Director Dr. Gloria Gonzaels-Dholakia.
“Make no mistake, the House Elections Committee’s vote to advance Senate Bill 7 is a shameful assault on the constitutional right of every Texan. We see SB 7 clearly for what it is — a blatant attempt to suppress the votes of millions of Texans, especially Black and Latinx Texans. Today’s vote, and the way in which it was passed without any public comment, is an affront to our democratic process and to the rules of our Legislature.
“The introduction of these bills makes it clear that anti-voter lawmakers will stop at nothing to prevent the rising Texas electorate from exercising their fundamental right to vote. Fighting voter suppression is bigger than partisan politics — it’s a moral choice between doing what is right and what is wrong, and legislators on both sides of the aisle should be expanding the right to vote, not restricting it.
“We know our Latinx community is resilient, and come what may, we are committed to fighting for the right of every eligible young Latinx in Texas to make their voice heard at the ballot box.”