Arrest warrants issued for dozens of Texas Dems that fled state to halt voting bill

A leading Texas lawmaker signed arrest warrants for the 52 Democrats who fled Austin to avoid voting on a controversial GOP election reform bill they claim would infringe the abilities of minorities to cast ballots.

House Speaker Dade Phelan signed the warrants late Tuesday, after the chamber voted 80-12 to force the runaway lawmakers to return to the statehouse, according to The Dallas Morning News. The move came hours after the Texas Supreme Court authorized using law enforcement to impel Democrats who hightailed it to Washington, DC a month ago to lobby for federal voting reforms, to return and vote on the measure, according to the report.