Democratic state lawmakers in Texas have left the state to prevent a vote on a new congressional map that favors Republicans. The proposed redistricting, supported by President Donald Trump, aims to create five new Republican-leaning seats in the US House, where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority. Two-thirds of the 150-member state legislature must be present to vote. Fifty-one Democrats have left for Illinois to block the quorum needed by Republicans. They intend to remain out of state for two weeks until the special session ends.
Republican Governor Greg Abbott convened this session for disaster relief, banning THC in cannabis, and approving the redistricting. Abbott threatened to remove absentee lawmakers, each facing a $500 daily fine while Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned of arrests. Paxton publicly criticized Democrat lawmakers, labeling them as cowards.
Texas Democrats argue they’re resisting a rigged system dismissive of their constituents. National party figures like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised their stance, though Democrats have also engaged in gerrymandering where they control redistricting, as seen in Illinois, New Mexico, and Nevada. In contrast, states like New York and California use independent commissions for redistricting.
Republicans, holding 25 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats, aim to increase this to 30. The changes would benefit districts Trump won by a significant margin, bolstering the Republican House majority. The new map would merge Democratic districts in Austin, expand a Republican-leaning district in northern Texas, and alter several Houston-area seats.
Republican legislator Todd Hunter called it a favorable plan for Texas. This marks the third recent instance of Texas Democrats fleeing the state to deny a quorum on contentious issues. Previously, they left for Washington DC in 2021 unsuccessfully opposing new election laws and for Oklahoma in 2003 to resist redistricting that eventually passed. Redistricting, done after each decade’s Census, addresses population shifts, with the most recent US Census occurring in 2020. Mid-decade redistricting is rare.