CALL TO ACTION: Stop New Attacks on Voter Suppression

Dear Friend,

This week, the Texas Legislature began a special session, and once again, I am asking you to stay alert and get involved.

A special session is when lawmakers reconvene outside of the regular biennial sessions, usually to address very urgent topics. They are much shorter than regular sessions, lasting up to 30 days.

The agenda for this special session includes new proposals for voting restrictions, a new set of mass incarceration policies, and more attacks on LGBTQ+ children. After Hurricane Harvey, there was no special session. We were experiencing a global pandemic, and there was no special session. Our state lost hundreds of lives to a winter storm, but there was no special session. This is absolutely shameful.

We encourage you to get involved. In the regular legislative session, we saw how people protesting for voting rights, for criminal justice reform, and for the rights of LGBTQ+ children were able to stop these bills from becoming law. Your voice is powerful.

Here are a few ways you can get involved during the special session:

Testify against these bills. The ACLU of Texas, MOVE Texas, and other organizations are hosting a virtual training tonight at 6:30PM to teach you how you can talk directly to your lawmakers.
Sign up here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8PyBNF2CTWeppXU5dLfycA
Go to the Capitol to make your voice heard this Saturday, July 10th. Local groups are organizing buses to travel to Austin. You can sign up to join State Sen. Borris Miles’ team here.
Stay informed. We encourage you to stay abreast of what is happening at the Capitol in the next month. Follow trusted sources like the Texas Tribune, National Public Radio, and the Houston Chronicle and keep raising the alarm about the proposals.

We must keep the pressure on state lawmakers. We cannot let them undermine our democracy. We can do this together.