Earlier this week, Michelle Beckley, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, issued a rousing call-to-arms on social media: My name is Michelle Beckley, she tweeted. Im one of the brave Texas Democrats who came to DC to fight for voting rights in my state. Supporting voter rights is, of course, a noble cause but does it really warrant Beckleys description of herself as brave? What could be the cause of such hyperbole? The answer, I suspect, is that Beckley was one of several representatives who chartered a private jet and fled Texas on Monday for Washington DC to break the quorum needed in her states House of Representatives and stymie a Republican bill relating to future elections.
These Democrats complain that the bill will restrict voting rights by, among other things, introducing identification requirements and banning drive-through voting. For the time being, the two parties are in a stand-off. It is, however, a scenario which is being played up and down the country; Texas is merely one of a number of states where...............