So, Ashley, how long has the Texas State House been without a quorum now?

Well, technically since the beginning of June, but it's been several weeks now that the House has been unable to do practically anything.

Ashley Lopez is a reporter for KUT, the public radio station in Austin, Texas.

She covers state politics.

It's really messy.

I mean, I don't think I've ever seen state governance so chaotic here.

And it's not like, you know, Texas has always been like such a

flower, you know, just like not doing anything. Like Texas politics has always been kind of nuts.

But, you know, I don't think I've ever seen it like this.

For a couple months now, Democratic lawmakers in Texas have been locked in a battle with the

state's Republicans.

At issue, our proposed restrictions on voting.

In July, the battle intensified when a bunch of State House Democrats skipped town, denying

their chamber a quorum.

That made it impossible for the rest of the State House to even consider legislation.

The Texas Democrats chose as their exile, the home of good governance and political compromise,

Washington, D.C. They were there to hide out. They were also there to lobby Congress to pass

federal voting protections.

Today, more than 50 Democratic members of the Texas House left Austin and left Texas.

Not because we want to, it breaks our heart that we have to do it.

But we do it because we are in a fight to save our democracy.

Are the quorum breakers being called anything? Like, do they have a nickname? Like, the quorum busters, or the rogue Democrats, or the Austin Diaspora, the Texas 57. I mean, I'm writing my movie treatment now, as you can tell. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've heard anything catchy yet. I don't think I've heard anything.

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