Texas state House Democrats who fled the state to break quorum and stall a GOP redistricting plan announced Thursday they will return to Texas only once “two critical conditions” are met.
The conditions are the Legislature’s adjournment sine die Friday, as well as the introduction of redistricting maps in California that would “neutralize” the proposed Texas changes, according to a new statement from the House Democratic Caucus.
“Under the advice of legal counsel, Democrats must return to Texas to build a strong public legislative record for the upcoming legal battle against a map that violates both the current Voting Rights Act and the Constitution,” the statement read.
“We will return to the House floor and to the courthouse with a clear message: the fight to protect voting rights has only just begun.”
Texas Democrats fled the state earlier this month in a bid to deprive the state Legislature of the numbers it needs to function, stalling the GOP-friendly redistricting proposal from moving through an ongoing special session.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is expected to call another special session, after the state House and Senate signaled that both chambers will sine die Friday if a quorum isn’t reached.
“If there’s no quorum Friday, Special Session #2 will start immediately after Sine Die. Same agenda, with potential to add more,” Abbott said in a statement Tuesday, referring to the chambers adjourning. He said the next session will have “the exact same agenda,” with “no reprieve for the derelict Democrats who fled the state.”
ABC News reported this week that the Texas House Democrats were loosely planning on returning over the weekend as they felt they had accomplished their goals of raising awareness about the GOP efforts and killing the first special session.
Meanwhile, California is expected to move forward with a plan that would counter would-be GOP gains in Texas, where the current proposal would net five red House seats, with redistricting that favors Democrats in the Golden State.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was hosting an “Election Rigging Response Act” event Thursday to solidify plans.
The quorum-breaking Democratic legislators face hefty fines for their absence, as well as threats of arrest and removal from their seats. But in the GOP-controlled state House, the redistricting proposal is expected to easily move through the chamber once Democrats return and it has the numbers it needs to function.
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