Austin, TX: Wednesday morning voting activists gathered in Georgetown to march 27 miles to the capitol in Austin. Their goal: to stop voter suppression.
Texans with disabilities are targeted for voter suppression and intimidation, according to the Democrats. Republicans claim to fight to preserve the voting process.
“Those Texans with the disability, the very young, the very old, the working poor, Black and brown and other minorities in Texas are targeted for voter suppression and intimidation, as they always have been in this state,” said former U.S. representative O’Rourke.
State Representative Jim Murphy says it's time for Democrats to get back to work.
“Important matters like the 13th check for retired teachers or bail reform, CPS reform. Those are all in play right here and now. They need to get accomplished. I encourage them to get their exercise, but they can do that right here in Austin,” Murphy said.
The Republican National Committee says the Democrats' claims are misinformed. KXAN reports:
“I use my ID to drive, fly, even pick up tickets to a ballgame. It proves I am who I say I am. But Democrats say Black folks like me, don’t know how to get one of these,” the main character in the commercial, Melvin Everson, says during the ad. “The truth is they think this stops them from winning the election. That’s what Democrats really care about.”
Organizers of the 4-day, 27-mile walk hope to replicate the famed Selma to Montgomery walk that garnered enough attention to pass the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Rev. Barber, O’Rourke, members of the clergy, and voting rights activists from across the state held a prayer vigil in Georgetown Tuesday evening to kick off the march and lead the march.
Bryce Newberry, KVUE Reporter covering transportation, tweeted:
"The march is on. @BetoORourke & Rev. William Barber are leading demonstrators on a 27-mile, 4-day walk from Georgetown to the #Texas State Capitol in a Selma to Montgomery-style march to demand federal voting reform and combat what they call voter suppression efforts in TX. @KVUE."
Citizens take to the streets to make their voices heard.
According to a press release from Powered by People, "America finds itself at a crossroads once again as several Supreme Court rulings have gutted the Voting Rights Act, giving state legislatures across the country free rein to erect new barriers to the ballot box, particularly for Black and brown Americans."
The crossroads are in Austin, and voters will March for four days while Democratic lawmakers continue to fight for voter rights in Washington D.C.
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