Texas: Democrat walkout blocks passage of voting restriction law

Critics say the law, like many recently passed across the US, would make it more difficult for some people to vote.

Democrats in the US state of Texas have pulled off a last-ditch boycott in the state House of Representatives, walking out and thus blocking the passage of what critics say is one of the most restrictive voting bills in the country. The collective action by Democrats on Sunday night ensured that the chamber would not have the quorum needed to vote on the legislation, giving the Republicans no choice but to abandon a midnight deadline and declare the legislative session essentially over. The legislation is the most recent attempt in state legislatures across the US to pass voting restrictions, which many Republican legislators have argued are needed to increase security at the polls.