After fleeing the state on Monday to hold up a vote on an election integrity bill in Texas, state Democratic representatives remain in Washington D.C.  

They’re lobbying Congress to pass national voting reform legislation.

Juan Maldonado said it’s no coincidence that mostly people of color are standing up against the election bill. 

Maldonado was the first Latino mayor of San Juan and is now the chairman of the Hidalgo County Tejano Democrats.

"In my day I had to pay a fee it was like $7 to vote register to vote. Of course that's gone now, with our fight and our struggle," Maldonado said.

Gilberto Hinojosa, chair of the Texas Democratic Party, said it's no coincidence that people of color are standing up against this bill.

"Four out of every five House Democratic members is a person of color, these laws precisely affect their families,” Maldonado said.

Valley Rep. Armando Martinez is one of the members who flew to D.C.  He says he didn't leave just because of Republican election bill, adding that the Valley has been ignored for too long in the legislature. 

"Though we have asked time and time again for the Governor to place important funding for infrastructure and flooding so that the state could take care of it, he has neglected that duty,” Martinez said. “We have a power grid that went out with over 700 people who passed away because of the winter storm, and that has not been fixed."

Rep Martinez and other Valley Democrats are also pushing for the expansion of healthcare. 

Meanwhile, Republicans are urging Democrats to come back to Texas in hopes of passing a bill for retired teachers. 

In a tweet, Abbott reiterated his plan to call special session after special session if need be - saying the Democrats can run but they can't hide.