Texas Democrats flee state on charter flights to block GOP voting bills

Texas Democratic lawmakers fled the state for Washington, DC Monday in order to block Republican-backed election reform bills for a second time — setting up a standoff with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and risking arrest by leaving during a special session.

Close to 60 of the Texas House of Representatives’ 67 Democrats departed Austin on two charter flights to the nation’s capital, where they vowed to press the Biden administration and congressional lawmakers to pass federal voting rights legislation. KXAS reporter Scott Gordon tweeted an image of barefaced lawmakers on one of the planes, apparently defying federal rules about wearing masks while traveling.