top of page
Logo_Indivisible Central Indiana_Horizontal_ForDarkBackground.png

Support the Texas Democrats Breaking Quorum

ree


From Ezra Levin, Co-Executive Director Indivisible (National)


You launch a power-grab when you fear your voters

Trump told the Texas GOP to take an already-gerrymandered state and gerrymander it more. Texas Republicans heard the order loud and clear, and now they’re expediting a norm-busting mid-decade redistricting scheme that all but guarantees Republicans five more House seats next November. In a state that Trump won with 56% of the vote, Republicans under this map would safely control 80% of the state’s congressional seats.


Texas Dems are fighting back, with some help from friends

They’re responding to historic anti-democratic norm-breaking with historic opposition.


Their specific maneuver sounds boring, but it’s badass. It’s called breaking quorum. It works like this: If more than ⅓ of Texas legislators refuse to show up for votes, they freeze all legislative activity.


No quorum means no new map as long as they hold out

We don’t know how this will play out. The last two times Dems deployed this tactic, it went on for more than a month before the coalition fractured, a few Dems returned, and the Republicans moved forward with their plans. If these Texas Dems are going to be more successful, they’ll have to hold out longer, stick together, and rally both state and national public opinion to their side.


It’s time to fight back

The fight for justice and democracy against an authoritarian force often starts this way. The options are few. The odds are long. It looks dicey. In moments like this, you need leaders with intense strategic clarity. You need someone like a Texas State Representative James Talarico to say: "We are not fighting for the Democratic Party. We are fighting for the democratic process, and the stakes could not be higher. We have to take a stand."


When Talarico says “It’s time to fight back,” he’s not just describing the strategic logic of his own actions. He’s calling out those on the sidelines to join this righteous fight.


And now some elected Dems are cheering on the Texas Dem legislators and proposing blue state Dems use their power to pass their own new maps. Fight fire with fire! This is what “courage is contagious” looks like in real life.


I’m with Talarico, the Lone Star Indivisible Team, the local Indivisible groups, and the rest of the fight-back faction of the Party. I think the only real path forward is the courageous path. And I think we need more leaders who understand what this moment demands of us.


Indivisible Central Indiana Asks You to Call and Post

When we see courageous acts of resistance, we must be loud in our praise. So, thank those standing up for free and fair elections. Reach out to the Texas Democrats.


[Sample script] 

Hello. I am [Insert name] reaching out from Indiana to thank the Texas Democrats who broke quorum and stood up to authoritarianism. I may not be a Texan, but I understand they are standing up for free and fair elections for all Americans. Stay strong. We stand with you. 


Phone: (512) 478-9800


[Sample Post]

Thank you TX Dems for breaking quorum! People across the country -  who want free and fair elections - applaud your courage. 




bottom of page