Texas Democrats plan to leave the state to block GOP voting, other legislation in special session

Texas Democrat state lawmakers are reportedly planning to leave the state Monday to block Republicans from voting on election reform and other GOP priorities during a special session of the legislature.

At least 50 state House Democrats had plans to leave for Washington D.C. Monday, which would deprive the Republicans of the two-thirds attendance level to conduct business, two officials with direct knowledge of the plan told The Washington Post.

The two officials did not tell the Post where exactly the Democrats were at the time due to fears Republican legislators and Texas police would apprehend them to force them back to the state capitol to conduct business, as is legally allowed by the chambers' rules.

This is the newest walkout by Texas Democrats. In May, they staged a similar walkout stopping the legislature from voting on similar election bills. That caused Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special legislative session that started last week.

The two election-related bills: House Bill 3 and Senate Bill 1, aims to add new identification requirements for absentee and mail-in-voting, ban some early voting, and create new criminal penalties for breaking certain election codes, according to NBC News.