Democratic lawmakers in Texas said on Sunday they were leaving the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, a move Republicans are seeking to protect their narrow U.S. House majority in next year's midterm elections.
At least 50 Democratic lawmakers boarded chartered flights to Washington, D.C., aiming to halt a special legislative session called to approve new voting maps that critics say heavily favour Republicans.
By leaving the state, Democrats prevent the Texas House from reaching the two-thirds quorum required to hold a vote.
“We’re not going to sit back and watch our democracy be dismantled,” said Democratic Representative Ana-Maria Ramos.
President Donald Trump has championed the redistricting plan, telling reporters he expects the effort to yield as many as five additional House Republicans. Republicans hold a narrow 220-212 majority in the House of Representatives, with three Democratic-held seats vacant after members' deaths.
Republicans accused their rivals of abandoning their duties and vowed to press ahead with redistricting plans once the lawmakers return.
Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to arrest the lawmakers upon their re-entry to Texas.
"Democrats hatched a deliberate plan not to show up for work, for the specific purpose of abdicating the duties of their office and thwarting the chamber’s business", the Governor said in his statement, adding that leaving amounted to an abandonment of the office.
The walkout is the latest in a series of clashes over voting rights and political control in Texas. Democrats argue the redistricting plan would dilute minority representation and entrench Republican power for the next decade.
Redistricting takes place every 10 years and has become a flashpoint in states where control of the legislature hangs in the balance. Similar standoffs have occurred in past years, but this marks one of the most dramatic walkouts in recent memory.
Under the current lines, Republicans control 25 seats, nearly two-thirds of the districts in a state that went for Trump last year by a 56% to 42% margin.
Redistricting experts have said the plan could backfire if Republicans try to squeeze too many seats out of what is already considered a significantly skewed map.
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