Fight Over Voting Rights Nears End in Texas as Democrats Return

HOUSTON — Ostensibly connected the run, a Democratic “fugitive” successful the eyes of his Republican colleagues, Gene Wu this week sat cross-legged connected the sofa successful his Houston surviving room, fielding calls from constituents and occasionally glancing astatine his telephone to presumption surveillance video from a camera connected his beforehand door.

Mr. Wu was among much than 50 Democrats successful the Texas House of Representatives who went to Washington past period successful a last-ditch effort to forestall a restrictive voting measurement from passing successful the Republican-dominated Legislature.

Dozens person since softly returned to Texas, vowing to proceed the conflict implicit voting rights from their homes oregon “undisclosed locations.” But their combat appeared to scope its decision connected Thursday arsenic a fistful of Democrats rejoined their Republican colleagues successful the State Capitol.

When it began connected July 12, fewer believed that their walkout would past this long.

But the accomplishment of 3 Democrats successful Austin connected Thursday efficaciously ended the 38-day-old walkout, paving the mode for House Republicans to re-establish a quorum. And it removed what appeared to beryllium the last obstacle to the transition of caller voting rules and different Republican priorities.

The House adjourned until 4 p.m. Monday, though hearings were expected to instrumentality spot implicit the weekend.

“We took the combat for voting rights to Washington, D.C.,” the 3 Democratic legislators from Houston, Garnet Coleman, Ana Hernandez and Armando Walle, said successful a associated statement, adding, “Now we proceed the combat connected the House floor.”

They added: “It is clip to determination past these partisan legislative calls and to travel unneurotic to assistance our authorities mitigate the effects of the existent Covid-19 surge.”

The governmental ambiance had go much charged by the time arsenic a bulk of Democrats remained hunkered down successful Texas, wherever they were susceptible to imaginable apprehension by authorities instrumentality enforcement. Only a tiny fig stay extracurricular the state.

Some person been bouncing betwixt locations successful Texas, fearful that, if they were found, they could beryllium detained and hauled into the Capitol. Others, similar Mr. Wu, were backmost astatine location and their jobs, which astir lawmakers support successful a authorities wherever the Legislature meets regularly lone erstwhile each 2 years.

“If they judge they person the close to apprehension me, they won’t person a hard clip uncovering maine due to the fact that I’m astatine work,” said Ramon Romero, a Democrat who represents Fort Worth and runs a 40-person concern gathering swimming pools and selling stone.

Democratic legislators began returning to Texas this month, albeit with nary of the fanfare that accompanied their departure from Austin.

The representatives, cheered by Democratic activists and voting rights groups, flew successful chartered planes to Washington, met with apical officials successful the Senate and with Vice President Kamala Harris, and succeeded successful shutting down a peculiar league of the Legislature called by Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, to walk caller laws connected voting and different priorities of his party’s base.

The absent Democrats ran down the timepiece of the 30-day peculiar session, and Mr. Abbott instantly called a 2nd one. But Democrats remained away.

Republicans, progressively enraged, called for arrests. The House sergeant-at-arms distributed civilian apprehension warrants — signed by Speaker Dade Phelan — to members’ offices, to their email inboxes and, successful immoderate cases, to their homes.

“They came up to the door, rang the doorbell,” said Jon Rosenthal, a Houston representative, describing watching surveillance video helium captured of the sergeant-at-arms authoritative delivering the warrant to his location connected Tuesday. “Nobody answered truthful helium folded it successful fractional and stuck it successful the doorjamb.”

The voting bills successful Texas, portion of a nationwide effort by Republican-led authorities legislatures to tighten rules astir ballot access, would rotation backmost changes made during the 2020 predetermination to marque voting easier during the coronavirus pandemic. The projected changes would besides grow the authorization of partisan canvass watchers, which voting rights groups and Democrats accidental could pb to elector intimidation and suppression.

Mr. Abbott, successful calling the peculiar sessions, besides included connected the docket priorities of his Republican base, specified arsenic rules connected however contention could beryllium taught successful schools and restrictions connected transgender athletes. He besides added respective that person broader appeal, specified arsenic much wealth for retired teachers.

The standoff prompted calls for vigilante groups to assistance way down the Democrats. Outside groups offered rewards up to $2,500 for accusation starring to the apprehension of the Democrats, garnering enactment from immoderate Republican representatives.

“If you cognize the whereabouts of a missing lawmaker, taxable a tip,” Briscoe Cain, a Houston-area Republican who chairs the House Elections Committee, said successful a TikTok video this week, an battle firearm visibly mounted connected the partition down him.

Democrats and activists had been moving to guarantee that the radical held together, holding a regular check-in connected Zoom. The rotation is taken, and if anyone is absent, determination was a strategy for getting successful touch.

But statement during caller greeting calls had breached retired betwixt antithetic camps, a bulk who wanted to support their walkout, and a smaller radical that wanted to return, according to respective who person been connected the calls. “Every greeting we person this exercise, this aforesaid 4 oregon 5 radical who privation to spell back,” said 1 member, who requested anonymity to sermon the backstage meetings.

And truthful immoderate Democrats were caught off-guard connected Wednesday erstwhile Mr. Coleman announced successful The Dallas Morning News that helium would beryllium returning to the Capitol. He explained that helium felt returning was the “right happening to do” for the instauration of the Legislature.

Mr. Wu, the Houston representative, said precocious Thursday that helium felt “angst” astir however Democrats would present proceed their combat and “where this brings america successful the coming days.”

“We knew this time would come,” helium said. “It was conscionable a substance of however and when.”