Texas Home fails to determine quorum as dozens of Democrats flee state to dam redrawn congressional map.
Democratic state legislators in Texas have blocked a vote on a United States congressional map that favours their Republican rivals by leaving the state, stopping the state Home of Representatives from establishing a quorum.
The vote couldn’t proceed on Monday afternoon, at the same time as Republican Governor Greg Abbott threatened to take away the fleeing lawmakers from workplace and advised that they may face fees. No less than 100 legislators within the 150-member chamber wanted to be current for the vote to proceed.
It isn’t clear when the following vote will probably be held.
The brand new redrawn map, backed by President Donald Trump, would give Republicans extra protected seats to assist them preserve their majority within the US Home within the midterm elections subsequent yr.
In response to the Texas Tribune newspaper, the Texas Home authorised in an 85-to-six vote a largely symbolic measure to trace down and arrest greater than 50 legislators who left the state. The warrants are solely legitimate in Texas.
The controversy within the conservative-leaning state has dominated the political dialog within the nation, greater than a yr forward of the November 2026 midterm elections.
Gerrymandering – drawing districts round demographic and socioeconomic strains for partisan causes – shouldn’t be unusual within the US. However Texas seems to have taken the apply to its limits, all however eliminating 5 seats held by Democrats.
“We’re not right here to play political video games. We’re right here to demand an finish to this corrupt course of,” prime Texas Home Democrat Gene Wu mentioned at a information convention in Illinois on Sunday.
