Texas Democrats have fled the state in an escalation of one of the most high-stakes battles over voting rights in the US. Texas Democrats thwarted Republican efforts on this bill once before when they walked out of the state capitol in May. Abbott had the authority to call a special session that is basically legislative overtime, which he promptly did. A special session can last a maximum of 30 days , and Republicans have already vowed to use “every available resource” to secure quorum and call Democrats back. Democrats face potential arrest , as Republicans can authorize law enforcement to haul the Democratic legislators back to the state.

Source: The Guardian July 13, 2021 10:30 UTC