The surge of coordinated book banning efforts began in Texas and Florida and accelerated across the country. The movement started with a conservative focus on local school board elections years earlier. But on Saturday, voters in Texas gave notice that the tide may be turning against the people, organizations, and efforts that seek to limit or remove access to books and materials.

According to Frank Strong, co-director of the Texas Freedom to Read Project, 38 of 51 candidates who were either members of or supported by pro-censorship groups or echoed pro-censorship talking points lost their races in districts around the state.

“Okay, I'll say it: Tonight has been an absolute DRUBBING for Texas book banners,” Strong wrote on Bluesky on Saturday night. “Texas voters stood up and said clearly that they're sick of trustees demonizing teachers. They rejected the absurd policing of libraries & books that has plagued our state for years.

“It happened in rural, suburban, and rural districts. It happened everywhere. Voters threw out entrenched book-banning incumbents, and rejected candidates backed by big money orgs like Patriot Mobile and pro-voucher Texans for Educational Freedom.”

In another victory for grassroots groups fighting for intellectual freedom, in Florida, a bill that would have redefined “harmful to minors” and not allowed districts to consider the potential literary, artistic, political, or scientific value of materials that contain harmful content when making decisions died in session on Friday.

As in Texas, it was a victory made possible in large part by the efforts of a grassroots organization; in this case, the Florida Freedom to Read Project (FFTRP).

In a statement posted to Bluesky, FFTRP wrote: “Our small-but-mighty team of parent volunteers, in concert with impactful advocacy partners, held early meetings with critical stakeholders and policymakers before bills were even filed, ensuring those in power knew our concerns and understood what their constituents were saying on the ground—that districts were forced into overcompliance on book removal policies due to fear of fiscal repercussions that could hinder student success, and that very few parents actually support restricted access to literary content.”

There is little time to linger celebrating the victories, however. The fight for intellectual freedom in Texas now turns to state Senate Bill 13, which the Texas House Committee on Public Education will consider on Tuesday.

According to the Texas Freedom to Read Project, “SB13 contains several measures that make it harder for school librarians to buy books for their shelves. Specifically, before ordering any book, SB13 requires librarians to a) consult with a local school library advisory council (which is only required to meet twice per year), b) make purchase orders available for public review for at least 30 days, and c) receive approval from the district Board of Trustees during a public meeting.”

Districts in Texas already have these measures in place, and it has drastically hindered the ability to add to school library collections, with some districts unable to buy any books, according to the Texas Freedom to Read Project. Adopting this policy statewide would be “devastating” not only to school libraries but English language arts classes as well, the organization said on its webpage offering advice for advocates to take action to defeat the bill.