An exclusive one-on-one with Beto O'Rourke
Beto O’Rourke’s no stranger to traversing Texas and turning out crowds around the state. But over the past month, the former Congressman, U.S. Senate candidate, and potential gubernatorial contender has done so for a different reason than in the past. Namely, to combat Republicans’ all-out attacks on voting rights via his Drive for Democracy tour. O’Rourke sat down with the Signal for an exclusive interview before yesterday’s For the People rally in Austin, which delivered thousands of Texans to the steps of the State Capitol building on Father’s Day.
Republicans are targeting voting rights across America. How much has Texas upped the ante with SB 7?
Texas is already the hardest state in which to vote and to register to vote — and that’s before you account for SB 7, one of the most restrictive voting laws in the country. That legislation wouldn’t just end Souls to the Polls and make it harder on those with disabilities to cast a ballot; it wouldn’t just allow partisan poll watchers free reign inside of polling places to intimidate voters. Above all else, SB 7 would give Texas’ state government the right to overturn future elections. And that is so dangerous of an idea, that it makes you wonder: Would we still have a democracy at the end of the day if that was passed into law? This fight, Texas’ fight, is at the front lines for voting rights across America.
Where do rallies like yesterday’s come in?
This is an existential moment. And the way to meet it is not on Twitter and it’s not on TV. The way to meet it is in person. One of the things I’ve been telling people as we’ve met in 105-degree heat and ten thousand percent humidity is that the fight for democracy will not be air conditioned. You’ve got to be with people, you’ve got to see them, and you’ve got to listen to them. Because it’s going to involve rallying, marching, running for office, registering people to vote, doing everything we can to not just stop Republican attacks, but to pass the Voting Rights Act of our age — the For the People Act, which has its first procedural vote in the Senate on Tuesday. After all, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 didn’t come about purely from LBJ’s genius as a leader. It required John Lewis marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. It required people gathering at their state capitals. It required mass mobilization to bring the pressure to bear.
Read more: https://texassignal.com/an-exclusive-one-on-one-with-beto-orourke/
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