Texas’ Republican-led House of Representatives voted along party lines to pass a controversial new electoral map Wednesday, a redistricting move designed to give the GOP an additional five seats in the U.S. House. Democrats and voting rights advocates have denounced the effort, saying it will disenfranchise minorities and other voters.
The Texas Senate is expected to take up the bill in committee tomorrow, and the bill could head to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk as soon as Friday.
Redistricting typically happens at the start of every decade after a new census, but Texas Republicans pushed ahead with redrawing the map much earlier at the urging of President Donald Trump, as the GOP hopes to mitigate the risk of losses in next year’s midterm elections.
Texas Democrats took drastic action against the gerrymandering plan earlier this month, abandoning a legislative special session in the state House and fleeing to blue states, such as Illinois, to block the vote. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott promptly issued civil arrest warrants against the lawmakers, attempting to compel their return.
The lawmakers’ action sparked a wider conversation on gerrymandering, and Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a Nov. 4 special election aimed at redrawing his state’s congressional map to offset GOP gains in Texas.
Most of the Texas Democrats returned this week, restoring quorum and allowing the vote to proceed in a second session. They have vowed to continue the fight in the courts.
“Texas will have to go to the courts,” Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu said while addressing his colleagues Wednesday afternoon. “But California, New York, Illinois, Michigan and many other states — look at what’s happening here. Look carefully. This is the future, right here, if you do not act now.
“What Texas looks like — this process, this division, this partisanship and, most importantly, leaders who simply do not give a damn what you need or want anymore. If you do not stand up today and push back, the American dream will be dead and our democracy will fall.”
