Getty ImagesTexas lawmakers have approved a new congressional map aimed at giving Republicans an edge in next year's U.S. House elections.
After a two-week standoff in which Democrats fled the state to halt votes and attracted supporters for the constituency plan, Republicans in the Texas House passed a new voting route with 88-52 votes.
The map is expected to be sent to the Texas Senate, where it is expected to be approved quickly.
The new map gives Republicans five seats currently being held by Democrats, auditing the majority of the party's US home. But Democrat-led states are pushing to redraw maps to offset those interests.
President Donald Trump redrawn the map to protect the Republican majority in the US home when Congressional lawmakers again vote in 2026.
The vote continued in a dramatic position, with the National Democrats fleeing the nation and stopping new maps from being voted on.
At least two-thirds of Texas' 150 state legislators must be present to advance the vote, known as the quorum. After Democrats fled, Texas representatives were no longer reachable in the House of Representatives.
Texas government Greg Abbott issued arrest warrants to group members and several Democrats, saying law enforcement was keeping an eye on their homes while they were gone.
Lawmakers returned this week and said they believe their impasse helped them gain widespread awareness of the district's plans and forced several states to reflect on their own plans to counter the Republicans.
To prevent Democrats from trying to stop votes again, Texas Senator Dustin Burrows ordered the doors to the house chamber to be locked Monday.
He also said Democrats will ensure they return to state legislators on Wednesday for votes in their districts as they will be “released to custody” of designated officers.
Instead, several Democrats tore a written agreement that they must sign police escorts. One lawmaker, state legislator Nicole Collier, chose to sleep in his room at home instead of being escorted by officers.
Since Texas began pondering these new voting maps, other states managed by both political parties, including Florida, New York, Ohio and Missouri, have been pondering the political shifts in voting maps.
California lawmakers are currently discussing a new map that will give Democrats new benefits in five districts, cancelling changes made in Texas.
According to important California regulations, the modified maps will only take effect if Texas or other states advance changes that support Republicans.
The modified map of Texas has sparked concerns about gerrymandering – a redrawing of election boundaries in favor of political parties – this is legal unless racially motivated.
Like other states, Texas usually redraws Congressional districts once every decade when new population data was released by the US Census.
The Texas Democrats argue that repainting the map before the next 2030 census figures is in line with racial policy was rejected by Republicans. A voting map approved in 2021 after the last population number is currently being litigated over racism allegations.
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