John,

Let's be blunt: Last week's hearing on the voter suppression House Bill 6 was a train wreck thanks to House Elections Committee chair and the bill's author, Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park.

First, Cain refused to take questions from the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, Rep. Nicole Collier, about how his bill would disproportionately impact voters of color.

Then, in his frantic effort to silence Collier, Cain bungled a procedural step that resulted in the cancellation of the rest of the hearing even as more than 100 Texans, some traveling for hours to get to the Capitol, waited their turn to testify.

The silver lining is the cancellation gives you another chance to be heard on HB 6 before the do-over hearing this Thursday. I urge you to please contact your lawmakers today and demand they stand on the side of democracy by rejecting HB 6.

There's a small irony in Cain's simple error. His bill would criminalize making honest mistakes made when helping someone register to vote. Cain's mistake simply caused a delay. But under his bill, a mistake could have consequences that are far worse. That's on top of the rest of the awful provisions of HB 6 designed to make voting more difficult, like restricting or banning large voting centers, making it harder for voters with a disability to cast a ballot, banning or restricting drive-thru voting, and more.

We are seeing bills like HB 6 because Texans have been making their voices heard at the ballot box in record numbers. We need our voices to be heard at the Capitol, too.

Contact your lamwakers now and tell them to reject voter suppression by rejecting HB 6.

In the fight,

Carisa Lopez
TFN Political Director

P.S. Our Rapid Response Fund enables us to mobilize against bad bills like SB7 and HB6. Please consider making a gift today to help us continue to defend democracy and protect our shared progressive values.