By Anthony Council
Correspondent
Texas Metro News
Credit: Anthony Council Texas Metro News
In a dramatic weekend that stretched from Texas to Illinois, and over to New York, the battle over redistricting took center stage, culminating in Democratic House lawmakers packing up and leaving town to break quorum and block a controversial Republican-drawn map.
Early Friday morning, in a public hearing that lasted more than 10 hours and filled with emotional testimonies from residents, advocates, and elected officials; legislators were blasted for their “racist” efforts to disenfranchise Texas voters.
One of the most vocal opponents was Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, who said during the hearing, “We’re going to make it out of this… This map does nothing but divide, distract, and depress. There was this idea put out during the opening remarks that this map does so much for Black folks. Well, let me tell you, as a Black person, it does not. In this map, y’all added two additional Anglo-majority seats.”
Also speaking out during the hearing, Congressman Greg Casar, who represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District, challenged the map’s legality and political intent, “The only reason that you would have a map that looks this absurd is because you have an extremely unpopular president who knows nothing about Texas, sending a map here. And at the end of the day, what it does very clearly is exactly what the Voting Rights Act banned in 1965.”
Britney Quington, a constituent of Cong. Crockett, echoed similar concerns about representation and equity, “Now we have proof of the gerrymandering, the racism, and everything we feared would happen. It did and then some. But we’re not backing down. Our Congress, our representatives, they have our support.”
Roughly 80 percent of those who testified were against the new redistricting plan, while a smaller group stood in favor of it. The proposed map has drawn criticism for diluting minority voting strength, particularly in communities of color, while giving Republicans a greater advantage in future congressional elections. Civil rights groups have called it a step backward for fair representation in Texas.
On Saturday, the Texas House Select Committee voted 12 to 6 to advance the proposed congressional redistricting map. Then on Sunday, in a dramatic turn, 51 Texas House Democrats left the state and traveled to Chicago, Boston and New York, successfully breaking quorum and halting the legislative process. As of today, they remain in those areas, placing themselves outside Texas’ jurisdiction and delaying further action on the bill.
In response, Governor Greg Abbott set a deadline for their return, warning they could face removal from office and legal consequences.
At 3:00 p.m. CT on Monday, the Texas House was set to reconvene. The redistricting vote, intended to expand Republican control, remains on hold unless enough lawmakers are present to meet the quorum.
As lawmakers brace for a possible standoff in the coming days, all eyes remain on whether a quorum will be met. Meanwhile, activists and communities across Texas say they’ll continue to fight for maps that reflect the state’s diversity and protect voting rights.
