Congressional Redistricting

After two weeks out of state, Democratic lawmakers returned to Austin, paving the way for Republicans to pass their proposed congressional map.

A second special session that has made approving the map a priority started Friday, shortly after the first one ended.

Texas Republicans are trying to reconvene the state Legislature to vote on redrawing congressional maps in their party's favor. This comes after Democratic lawmakers left the state last week, denying Republicans the quorum they need to proceed.

Former Democratic presidential candidate from Texas Beto O'Rourke made a stop in Oklahoma City on Wednesday as part of a tour of the Midwest. He called for attendees to jump on the political offensive against the Trump Administration.

The new proposed lines would also prevent few, if any, opportunities for Democrats hoping that an aggressive gerrymander could backfire on Republicans.

The move effectively brings the state House of Representatives to a standstill and prevents any consideration by the full chamber of HB 4, which would dramatically redraw Texas' congressional maps.

Early reports indicate that some of the Democrats have fled to Chicago, others to Albany and Boston — all to cities in Democrat-led states.

As Republicans in Texas move full steam ahead with a plan to redraw the state's congressional districts, Democrats are privately mulling their options, including an expensive and legally dicey quorum break.

Democratic lawmakers and advocates rallied outside the Texas Capitol Thursday, just before the state legislature kicked the first in a series of hearings on a rare mid-decade push from top Republicans to redraw Texas' congressional district maps.

The civil rights group argues the Kansas Supreme Court incorrectly interpreted federal law when it ruled race wasn’t a factor in the map drawn by the Republican-dominated Kansas Legislature.