On President Lyndon Johnson’s birthday, his daughter Luci relaunches the campaign for the right to vote

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AUSTIN (Nexstar) – Friday marks the birthday of the late President Lyndon B. Johnson. Now 74, her daughter feels the urgency to renew the campaign for the right to vote in Texas and the United States.

Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of the 36th President of the United States, said she “would not dare” to put words in her father’s mouth, but imagines he would be disappointed to see the revision bill. Republican-backed elections move out of their state legislature home.

MORE: Texas Elections Bill Passes House On 3rd Reading And Will Return To Senate For Approval

“But I believe with all that is in me that he gave his literal political life so that we could all have access to the voting booth,” she said. “And it would break his heart to see that Texas was at the forefront of trying to take those rights away from people.”

Baines Johnson was 18 when her father signed the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965. She remembers her father giving one of the first pens after signing it to a Republican, former US Senator Everett Dirksen.

“Now it looks like we have camps. People on one side or people on the other. This is not an “us / they” situation, it is an “us” situation, she said. “… my father often asked us to embrace the words from the book of Isaiah, ‘come and reason together,’ but it didn’t seem like the Texas legislature really wanted to reason together. “

SB1, the massive elections bill that has been the subject of controversy for months, led to weeks of deadlock after Democrats fled the state to break the quorum. Baines Johnson applauded their efforts, but said he was sad to have come to this.

Democrats called the legislation a “voter suppression,” saying it would disproportionately affect Texans of color. However, Republicans defended the bill as a “guarantee” of the Texas electoral system, saying it would preserve the integrity and ensure the security of the vote.

Now Baines Johnson says she is taking a more active role in fighting for the ideals of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

“It breaks my heart, but it also energizes me and makes me feel, even though I’m 74 and sometimes suspicious, that I can’t be,” said Baines Johnson. “… Why would people who want freedom, justice for all do something like this?” It is just not the right thing to do.

Texas joins a large number of other state legislatures that have introduced or passed changes to their state’s election laws.

According to the Brennan Justice Center, a non-partisan law and policy institute, at least 18 states enacted 30 new laws with restrictive voting measures between January 1 and July 14, 2021. The institute defines policy as ” restriction “if law makes it” more difficult for Americans to register, remain on the lists and / or vote, compared to current state law. ”

During the House debate on Thursday, one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, said it was not abnormal for legislatures to overhaul their voting laws after a election year.

“Texas has systematically reviewed its electoral policy over time, making changes and updates as needed. SB1 is continuing this process, ”Murr said Thursday.

However, Democrats accused Republicans of perpetuating “the big lie” with SB1, referring to disputed and unfounded claims by former President Donald Trump that the 2020 election was “stolen.”

“There is no reason for this bill,” said Rep. Rafael Anchía, D-Dallas, during the floor debate. “And no reason we had to come back and no reason you had to be here.” It’s about advancing the big lie.

While Baines Johnson agrees with Democrats on the issue, she said she was “deeply saddened” by the state of politics in America, “which is pitted against each other.”

“The only thing that I hope and pray for is [President Johnson’s] anniversary is that her fellow Texans will come with compassion and understanding, and focus on how we can all obtain the right to vote and exercise that vote, ”she said.


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