The special session of the Texas legislature was moving ahead this week with activity on their election integrity bills. But on Sunday’s edition of Good Morning America, ABC co-anchor Eva Pilgrim was seemingly excited by the idea of another Democratic walkout in Texas and complained that state prosecutors were going after a Houston Democrat who allegedly cast an illegal vote while on parole for a burglary conviction.
“Now to politics and the battle over voting rights, the possibility of another mass walk-out by Democrats is hanging over a special legislative session in Texas as Republicans try again to pass new voting restrictions,” she announced at the top of the segment.
And after suggesting that the last walkout resulted in concessions from Republicans, Pilgrim’s reporting took a bizarre turn as she whined about Texas prosecutors going after a Democratic voter who allegedly cast an illegal ballot during the 2020 primary:
At the same time, Texas authorities are accusing a Houston man who stood in line to vote for six hours last year of voting illegally. Hervis Rogers’s determination to vote went viral on social media and now prosecutors say he was on parole for a burglary conviction when he cast his vote in the Democratic presidential primary. A conviction could lead to anything from two to 20 years in prison. Rogers got out on bail yesterday. He is being represented by the ACLU of Texas.
When Pilgrim was done griping about voting integrity laws being upheld, co-anchor Dan Harris spoke with deputy political director Averi Harper who accused the Supreme Court of approving racial discrimination.
“The difference though in Texas is that Democrats and civil rights leaders are fighting this battle with fewer tools in their arsenal after the Supreme Court voted to uphold restrictive voting measures in Arizona that advocates called discriminatory on the basis of race,” she decried. “But it remains to be seen if public pressure is enough to make any changes in any of these states or in Washington.”
NBC’s Sunday Today also got in the whining. After political director Chuck Todd and host Willie Geist touted President Biden for supposedly handling Russian cyberattacks on the U.S., the former suggested that Republican election integrity efforts were “doing that work for the Democrats. Meaning, they're helping to get out the vote.”
Todd also vented his personal frustrations with his Democratic Party because they “haven't really figured out how to fight is the changing of the administrative laws, the changing of who decides which votes count.”
“And this is where, I think, there’s been a failure of congressional Democratic leadership,” he declared, growing more irritated. From there, he began shouting at the camera and directing his anger at Democratic leadership:
Where is the Voting Rights Act? They’ve had majority in the House since ’18. Why is this piece of legislation not already written, not already passed? Where is it? They spend so much time on this press release of HR-1. Where are they on the Voting Rights Act? That is what could give them the teeth to fight these laws. And they're way behind on this.
“Yeah. I think they're looking for some Republican help that may never come on that,” Geist said as he ended the segment.
Their disdain for a secure voting system was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Macy’s on ABC and Crest on NBC. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
July 11, 2021
8:40:04 a.m. EasternEVA PILGRIM: Now to politics and the battle over voting rights, the possibility of another mass walk-out by Democrats is hanging over a special legislative session in Texas as Republicans try again to pass new voting restrictions.
Hundreds of people waited for hours at the state capitol to testify against the plans which would ban 24-hour polling places, ban drop boxes, and end drive-through voting.
Democrats staged a legislative walk-out in May to temporarily block action on new restrictions. Since then, Republicans have dropped demands to ban Sunday morning voting when many black churchgoers go to the polls and a provision to make it easier to overturn elections.
At the same time, Texas authorities are accusing a Houston man who stood in line to vote for six hours last year of voting illegally. Hervis Rogers’s determination to vote went viral on social media and now prosecutors say he was on parole for a burglary conviction when he cast his vote in the Democratic presidential primary. A conviction could lead to anything from two to 20 years in prison. Rogers got out on bail yesterday. He is being represented by the ACLU of Texas.
DAN HARRIS: For more on this – and there’s a lot to talk about here – let's bring in an ace, ABC News deputy political director Averi Harper. Good morning.
AVERI HARPER: Good morning.
HARRIS: So, this is a big fight in Texas over voting rights. What impact do you think this will have on the national picture, because there’s a lot of fighting going on in Washington too?
HARPER: Right. Well, this is really just the latest state to be in the spotlight over restrictive voting legislation. This is a continuation of the battle we've seen waged in states across the country.
The difference though in Texas is that Democrats and civil rights leaders are fighting this battle with fewer tools in their arsenal after the Supreme Court voted to uphold restrictive voting measures in Arizona that advocates called discriminatory on the basis of race.
So, we know the president is going to speak about this. He has plans to go to Philadelphia and speak about voting rights. But it remains to be seen if public pressure is enough to make any changes in any of these states or in Washington.
(…)
NBC’s Sunday Today
July 11, 2021
8:09:11 a.m. Eastern(…)
WILLIE GEIST: Let’s bring it back home, Chuck, and talk about voting rights. The Texas legislature is gathering this week perhaps to pass a law – a more restrictive voting law. We're seeing it across the country. President Biden himself will speak about voting rights in Philadelphia this week. Where is this headed? And how different may our elections be at these midterms next year?
CHUCK TODD: Well, look, in close elections we’re going to have a lot of unresolved fights. You know, that's the thing. Any election decided by less than a percentage point particularly in these states where changes to the administration of election law has changed.
You know, these are -- you know, the – a hurdle to voting can be overcome no matter how high they build the vurdle[sic] – the hurdle. And, in fact – you know, I'm one of those who believes that what Republicans are doing here, they're doing that work for the Democrats. Meaning, they're helping to get out the vote.
But the real problem that Democrats haven't really figured out how to fight is the changing of the administrative laws, the changing of who decides which votes count. And this is where, I think, there’s been a failure of congressional Democratic leadership, Willie.
Where is the Voting Rights Act? They’ve had majority in the house since ’18. Why is this piece of legislation not already written, not already passed? Where is it? They spend so much time on this press release of HR-1. Where are they on the Voting Rights Act? That is what could give them the teeth to fight these laws. And they're way behind on this.
GEIST: Yeah. I think they're looking for some Republican help that may never come on that. Chuck, thanks so much.
