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Republican Senator Tries Blaming Voters for Long Voting Lines in Texas, and His Democratic Challenger Just Shut Him Down
04 March 2020
SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images // Mark Wilson/Getty Images
While much of the national focus was on the Democratic candidates vying for the nomination to take on President Donald Trump in November, there were a wealth of down-ballot primaries that could reshape Congress in a similar manner to the 2018 midterm elections.
One of those primary candidates is M.J. Hegar, the air force combat veteran whose "Doors" ad went viral in 2018 during her run for Congress.
Now, Hegar is running for the chance to unseat Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn, and the two exchanged Twitter barbs on Wednesday.
Texas has closed around 750 polling places since the Supreme Court's gutting of the Civil Rights Act in 2013. The closures largely affect Black and Brown communities, resulting in hours long waiting times to vote.
Cornyn's solution? Just vote early or by mail.
Try voting during 10 day early voting period. As of Friday, which was the last day of early voting in the 2020 prim… https://t.co/GC5NZotlPs— Senator John Cornyn (@Senator John Cornyn)1583342747.0
Cornyn apparently forgot that voting is a right, that all voters should have access to vote on election day if they so choose, and that polling places should be prepared to accommodate them.
Hegar was quick to remind him.
Or, and hear me out, voters should be able to vote on *election* day. This is a slap in the face to hard-working… https://t.co/BTrXiYgRM9— MJ Hegar (@MJ Hegar)1583347841.0
For her own primary election, Hegar received the most votes in the Texas Democratic primary, and will head to a runoff election for the chance to take on Cornyn in November.
People agreed that the Texas Senator's tweet was trash.
Texans & all Americans deserve and have the right to vote on election day without unneeded distractions & obstacles… https://t.co/Q6Xxqtf66C— Russell Foster for Congress (@Russell Foster for Congress)1583348115.0
Why don't you try governing instead of voter suppression? And insufficient polling locations is nothing but suppres… https://t.co/wRvP5GhZAG— Michele🧂🌮🍷 (@Michele🧂🌮🍷)1583351390.0
Senator @JohnCornyn suggests it's our fault for thinking we could simply show up on election day to vote. https://t.co/hAfdrnWeZK— Chris Williams (@Chris Williams)1583352036.0
In which a senator up for re-election defends waiting hours in line just to vote on Election Day. You think you'd… https://t.co/Jj80dYSBsf— Alex Wilcox (@Alex Wilcox)1583350154.0
This response is obscene. ALL Americans should be able to exercise their constitutional right to vote on election d… https://t.co/1GGrsmW0fo— THOT Crimes (@THOT Crimes)1583348880.0
Per the @TXsecofstate website: To be eligible to vote early by mail in Texas, you must: - be 65 years or older; - b… https://t.co/iPy9YxRmhu— courtney (@courtney)1583348487.0
As the nation saw in 2018's Senate race between Republican Senator Ted Cruz and challenger Beto O'Rourke, turning Texas blue isn't as much of a pipe dream as some may think—especially if systems of voter suppression are dismantled.
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