A Democratic legislator took to the floor of the Texas Senate on Wednesday evening in Austin, railing against a Republican-backed voting rights bill for more than 15 hours.
15 hrs ago I stood to filibuster #SB1 & give a voice to the constituents who this bill attempts to silence.
— Carol Alvarado (@CarolforTexas) August 12, 2021
I know #VoterSuppression anywhere, is a threat to democracy everywhere.??
Proud to shine a light on stories of everyday Texans & stand up for the promise of democracy. pic.twitter.com/vN5X2sO3Gd
The legislator, state Sen. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston), began speaking at 5:50 p.m. on Wednesday and held the floor until approximately 9 a.m. on Thursday. In accordance with Texas Senate rules, Alvarado was prohibited from sitting, leaning, or drinking water through the entirety of her speech.
Speaking in opposition to Texas’ Senate Bill 1, Alvarado began by calling the bill a “regressive step back” toward the state’s history of slavery.
“[President Lyndon B. Johnson] said the Voting Rights Act struck away the last major shackle of the fierce and ancient bond of slavery,” Alvarado said. “Senate Bill 1 is a regressive step back in the direction of that dark and painful history.”
Alvarado also questioned the prevalence of voter fraud that SB 1 aims to prevent, implying that there are no issues with widespread, unverifiable drive-through voting.
“What’s wrong with drive-through voting during a pandemic?” Alvarado asked near the end of her speech. “What’s wrong with 24-hour voting?… Where is all the so-called ‘fraud?’”
During her filibuster, Alvarado received support from several prominent Democrats, including former Housing and Urban Development Secretary and 2020 presidential candidate Julián Castro. Castro tweeted that he was “proud” of Alvarado for standing up to the “GOP’s latest voter suppression bill.”
Proud of @CarolforTexas. It’s almost 3 am CT and she’s still going strong on the Texas Senate floor to filibuster the GOP’s latest voter suppression bill. Thank you, Senator!
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) August 12, 2021
7:19 am CT and @CarolforTexas is still on the Texas Senate floor! 13 hours now calling attention to how bad GOP voter suppression legislation would be for Texas.
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) August 12, 2021
You can watch her filibuster here:https://t.co/b4uPLOt3oE
Despite Alvarado’s best efforts, Texas’ SB 1 was passed just minutes after she left the floor. All 18 Republicans voted in favor, while all 11 Democrats present voted against it.
The bill now heads to the chaotic Texas House of Representatives, which dozens of Democrats fled for Washington, D.C. last month to delay any action on voting rights legislation. After the Texas Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that arrest warrants could be issued for the missing legislators, Texas’ House Sergeant-at-Arms issued 52 warrants for the Democrats who remain absent.
House sergeant at arms just delivered a warrant for Ina Minjarez at her Capitol office. They’re walking around to the offices of all 52 House Dems with warrants delivering them now. #txlege pic.twitter.com/cYtF6CDO60
— Morgan O'Hanlon (@mcohanlon) August 11, 2021
Alvarado’s filibuster comes as Democrats in Washington continue to call for an end to the filibuster, which stands in the way of passing progressive initiatives like HR 1, the For The People Act. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) have both remained opposed to any filibuster reform, throwing a wrench into President Joe Biden’s agenda.