51 Democrats flee Texas to stop Republican redrawing of Congressional map

51 Democrats have fled Texas as they look to block a vote on a new congressional map that would heavily favour Republicans. This after Texas’ majority Republicans unveiled a plan last week that would redraw electoral districts in such a way that Republican-leaning voters are in the majority.

Republicans currently hold 25 of the 38 congressional seats in Texas. The redistricting exercise, focused on constituencies that US President Donald Trump swept last November, could help buttress the slender Republican majority in the US House.

Texas though requires two-thirds of its 150-member legislature to be present in order to hold a vote. With the 51 Democrats absconding, most of them in Illinois, Republicans do not have the required quorum.

Trump, who is eager to avoid a repeat of when Democrats flipped the House majority two years into his first presidency, certainly won’t be happy.

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Now, each of the 51 lawmakers could face a $500 fine for every day they are away. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, even threatened to have them arrested. Paxton also said he would remove from office any Democrat who refuses to show up by 3 pm on Monday, August 4th, when the house reconvenes.

But Gene Wu, State legislator and Chairman of the Democratic caucus defended the move. He insists that they are not walking out on their responsibilities but rather walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people they represent.