This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz601p6jv8vo

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Democrats flee Texas to block Republican redistricting map backed by Trump Democrats flee Texas to block Republican redistricting map backed by Trump
(about 1 hour later)
Gene Wu, a Democratic state lawmaker in Houston, says he and others are "walking out on a rigged system".Gene Wu, a Democratic state lawmaker in Houston, says he and others are "walking out on a rigged system".
Democratic state lawmakers have fled Texas in an attempt to stop a vote on a new congressional map that would heavily favour Republicans. Democratic state lawmakers have fled Texas in a bid to stop a vote on a new congressional map that would heavily favour Republicans.
The map, unveiled by Texas Republicans earlier in the week and backed by President Donald Trump, contains redrawn districts that would help preserve the party's slim majority in the US House of Representatives. The redistricting, unveiled by Texas' majority Republicans last week and backed by President Donald Trump, would create five new Republican-leaning seats in the US House of Representatives.
Two-thirds of the 150-member Texas House must be present in order to hold a vote. Fifty-one Democratic lawmakers have fled to Chicago, denying Republicans the required quorum. Two-thirds of the 150-member Texas legislature must be present in order to hold a vote. Fifty-one Democratic lawmakers have fled, most of them to Illinois, denying Republicans the required quorum.
They said they plan to stay away for two weeks until the end of a special legislative session convened by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott to hold the vote. They said they plan to stay away for two weeks until the end of a special legislative session convened by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
Each of the 51 lawmakers could face a $500 (£380) fine for each day they are away, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, had previously threatened to arrest legislators who break quorum. The session is being held to approve the redistricting, as well as provide disaster relief for the deadly Texas floods and to ban THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
In a statement to media, Texas Democrats defended the move. Each of the 51 lawmakers could face a $500 (£380) fine for every day they are away, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, has threatened to have them arrested.
"We're not walking out on our responsibilities," said Texas state legislator and chairman of the Democratic caucus Gene Wu. He said on X the state should "use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law".
"Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately," he wrote.
In a statement, Texas Democrats defended the move.
"We're not walking out on our responsibilities," said state legislator and chairman of the Democratic caucus Gene Wu.
"We're walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent.""We're walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent."
The redrawn map could win Republicans five more congressional seats in areas where Trump had made gains during the 2024 presidential election. While Democrats nationwide have threatened tit-for-tat tactics, their options may be somewhat limited.
It includes a redistricting of the Rio Grande Valley, as well as combining two Austin districts currently held by Democrats. In states where they handle the redistricting process, such as Illinois, New Mexico and Nevada, Democrats have already gerrymandered just as eagerly as Republicans.
In northern Texas, the new map would expand a district currently held by Democratic House representative Julie Johnson to include rural Republican strongholds. The most recent Illinois map, for example, received an F grade from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project because it was rated as so politically unfair.
But in other Democratic-controlled states, such as New York, California, Colorado and Washington, redistricting is handled by non-partisan, independent commissions, rather than the state legislatures.
Texas Republicans currently hold 25 of the state's 38 congressional seats in the Lone Star state.
They hope the new maps could increase that number to 30 - all in constituencies that Trump won last November by at least 10 points.
The new map would include a redistricting of the Rio Grande Valley and combine two districts in the state capital of Austin currently held by Democrats.
In northern Texas, the map would expand a district currently held by Democratic congresswoman Julie Johnson to include rural Republican strongholds.
It would also redraw four Houston-area seats, including one held by Democratic congressman Al Green.It would also redraw four Houston-area seats, including one held by Democratic congressman Al Green.
Texas state legislator Todd Hunter, a Republican who sponsored the measure to redraw the map, called it "a good plan for Texas".
The redistricting could help pad the slender Republican majority in the US House, where Trump's party currently holds 219 of 435 seats, and Democrats have 212.
This is the third time in the past few years that Democrats have fled Texas to deny Republicans a quorum.
The party's legislators took off in 2021 in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to block the passage of new election rules.
Texas Democrats also left for Oklahoma in 2003 in a bid to stop redistricting that Republicans eventually managed to get approved.
States typically undergo redistricting every 10 years, when voting maps are redrawn to account for population changes.
The most recent US Census was in 2020. Redrawing district lines in the middle of a decade is unusual.