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July 19, 2021                                                                                                             

Contact: Oliver Bernstein

oliver@steadyhandpr.com | 512-289-8618

Hundreds of Texans of Faith from across the State Gather at Texas Capitol to Defend Voting Rights, Oppose Efforts to Limit Voting

“LET MY PEOPLE VOTE”  Rally Attendees Urge Texas Lawmakers to “Hit Reset” on Voting Laws

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Over 400 Texans from across the state convened at the state Capitol today to tell state lawmakers to scrap discriminatory legislative proposals that would limit voting and go back to the drawing board. 

The “Let My People Vote” rally featured speakers from diverse faith traditions, together with prominent civil rights leaders. Event organizers included Texas Impact, the League of Women Voters of Texas, the NAACP of Texas, and LULAC of Texas. Find video of the speakers at https://fb.watch/v/1cyoYuByP/. 

As the struggle over election reform legislation becomes increasingly partisan and fractious inside the Capitol, faith leaders explained why about how their faith compels them to support voting rights.

“Equal access to voting for every eligible voting Texan is the bedrock of democracy in our state,” said Rev. George Mason, Sr. Pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. “It is the floor of fairness that promotes unity in diversity in our political life together.”

Lutheran Bishop Sue Briner of Seguin added, “Lutherans believe government is a gift from God. We believe that part of the way God rules is through a participatory government, recognizing that all humans are created in the image of God and therefore have fundamental dignity and rights.”

After the rally, participants visited their lawmakers’ offices to discuss the need to find common ground on Texas election laws, which would start with abandoning the hyper-partisan bills under consideration in the current special session.

Linda Jann Lewis of the NAACP of Texas, said, “HB3 and SB1 are both frightening bills, clearly designed to allow 40% of the electorate to control the state and marginalize Black and Brown people as well as the disabled. This is not your garden variety voter suppression; it is the kind of voter suppression that would make the legislatures that adopted the poll tax or prohibited Blacks from voting in the democratic primary proud. It is masterful and pervasive.”

Virginia Kase Solomón, CEO of League of Women Voters US, said, “The anti-voter movement is pushing our democracy to the brink and Texas is ground zero. We have to fight back against the dangerous voter suppression and disinformation that disproportionately targets Black, brown, and female voters. Now is the time to safeguard the electoral process that makes our democracy work.” 

The rally was part of a 2-day conference designed to equip local faith communities to be “election mobilizers” in Texas’ three upcoming statewide elections. 

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