Texas GOP passes gerrymandered map after Democrats' quorum break

Fifty-one 🤠Texas Democratic lawmakers departed the state on August 3, 2025, to break quorum and prevent Republicans from voting on a congressional redistricting map. Breaking quorum means the House lacks the 100 members required to conduct official business under Texas rules.

🤠Texas House rules require 100 members present to conduct business. Republicans hold 88 seats. Democrats' absence prevented quorum, halting the redistricting vote but delaying it only temporarily.

GGGov. Greg Abbott called multiple special sessions after the initial quorum break. Democrats returned to restore quorum on August 18, 2025, after exactly two weeks. The redistricting map passed the House on September 19, 2025.

The 2020 Census showed 🤠Texas gained nearly 4 million residents between 2010 and 2020. Latino Texans accounted for approximately 2 million of that growth—nearly half the state's total population increase. Latino population now comprises 39 percent of all Texans.

The Republican map created zero new majority-minority districts despite 2 million new Latino residents. The new map guarantees Republicans 25 of 38 statewide House seats even with 52 percent Democratic vote share. This mathematical advantage makes competitive elections impossible for the next decade.

On June 25, 2013, Shelby County v. Holder struck down the Voting Rights Act's preclearance requirement. This eliminated federal Department of Justice review of 🤠Texas redistricting changes that previously required approval. Federal courts had rejected Texas maps twice since 2011 under preclearance. After Shelby County, Republican maps skip federal review.

🤠Texas HSHouse Speaker Dustin Burrows issued arrest warrants and imposed $500-per-day fines for each day absent Democrats missed. Fifty-one Democrats faced cumulative fines totaling $9,354 each. Burrows suspended their direct deposit paychecks and TATexas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued to remove them from office.

Democratic leaders Gene Wu (D-Houston), Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio), and others coordinated the departure with 🌽Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and 🏛️Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey. Pritzker pledged to 'protect every single one of them.' Democrats raised funds to cover $9,354 fines per person.

The quorum break delayed the vote for two weeks but did not prevent passage. Similar quorum breaks in 🤠Texas (2003) and 🦆Minnesota (2025) also failed to stop legislation once governors called additional special sessions. Trump publicly demanded Republicans draw five additional GOP seats.