Texas senator risks health to thwart democracy

Washington Post:

Against his doctor's advice, a stooped and feeble state Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr. (D) arrives at the Texas Capitol each day, just to make sure his chamber does not take up a bill that would require voters to produce identification at the polls.

And when the rigors of the job start to wear on Gallegos, whose body is trying to reject a liver transplanted four months ago, he retires to a hospital-style bed -- donated by a Republican colleague -- in a room next to the Senate chamber.

From there, he can be summoned at a moment's notice, should his vote be needed to keep the bill from reaching the floor.

Gallegos is putting his health at risk to block a measure he and others say could prevent many minorities and the elderly from taking part in elections in Texas.

"If there was enough votes to block, I promise I wouldn't be here," he said last week from his bed, his slumped shoulders and tired, jaundiced eyes making him look much older than his 56 years. The once-burly lawmaker is now thin, his skin hanging loosely.

In the Texas Senate, bills cannot move forward unless 21 of the 31 senators vote to bring them up for debate. The Democrats hold 11 seats, just enough to block a bill if they stick together. The Senate's five-month legislative session ends Monday.

...

The Democrats are trying to keep the viability of fraudulent votes alive and protect the lazy. There is no sound reason why any eligible voter would be prevented from voting. People who do not have an ID can get them. They do it all the time. This just proves how important voter fraud is to the Democrats. When people talk about their mothers and grandmothers not having an ID to vote with, the obvious question is why don't you help them get one? My mother is in an nursing home and she has several forms of identification. She has had to show identification to get her Medicare benefits for one thing. The Democrats do not have a good argument in this debate and theyare using this mans misfortunes to generate sympathy for their bad politics.

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