AUSTIN, Texas — One year ago today, many Texans were waking up in dark, freezing homes after a severe winter storm hit the state. For days, millions were without power or water. And according to the state’s official death toll, nearly 250 people died.

While the Legislature was quick to pass reforms, many experts believe more has to be done to prevent what happened last year from ever happening again. It’s an issue that’s become a huge campaign focus for many Democrats, especially the likely Democratic nominee for governor, Beto O’Rourke. 

“Until we take other steps, we are not going to be able to protect the lives of the people of this state,” O’Rourke said during an interview on Capital Tonight. “That’s not a Democratic or Republican party issue, that’s just a Texas common sense value of fixing the problems that caused the outages last year.” 

O’Rourke just completed a statewide “Keeping the Lights on Tour” earlier this month. That tour coincided with a cold front that was the grid’s biggest test since last year. This time, all systems worked, and there were few power outages. However, many experts agree that the recent storm was not nearly as severe as the one Texas saw last year. 

“What the experts tell us is that if we see severe weather like that again, we will not be able to power the homes or businesses of Texas, because we have not fixed the underlying issues,” O’Rourke said. “The worst thing that could possibly happen is to have this kind of loss of life, property damage and negative consequences to the state, and still not do anything.” 

He’s also put an emphasis on voting access, with his campaign pledging to contact three million voters before the end of February. 

“[Abbott] doesn’t trust voters to decide the outcomes of these elections,” O’Rourke said. “He has helped to make this the toughest state in the nation to vote. When I’m governor, whether you’re a Republican, Democrat or Independent, if you’re eligible, there will be no barrier in your way to cast your ballot.”

Early voting in the primaries has already begun, and runs until Feb. 25. Election Day is March 1.