(The Hill) - Texas Democrats fled the state connected Sunday to contradict the GOP a legislative quorum arsenic portion of an effort to forestall Republicans from redrawing the Lone Star State’s legislature maps.

The determination deprives the Texas authorities legislature of the numbers it needs to function, stalling advancement connected the maps – but comes with big risks for the authorities Democrats, including steep fines and the menace of arrest.  

It adds different furniture to the conflict that’s been brewing successful Texas, though it's unclear conscionable however overmuch this could interaction the GOP plans.

Separately, speech of redistricting is gathering successful different states arsenic some parties acceptable for adjacent year's high-stakes midterms. 

Here are 5 things to know. 

Texas Democrats are trying to dilatory GOP redistricting push 

With the GOP firmly successful power of some houses of Texas’s authorities legislature, Democrats didn’t person galore avenues disposable to halt Republicans from plowing guardant with their plan, which could springiness Republicans different 5 House seats.  

Without capable powerfulness successful the House to ballot down the projected changes — which precocious retired of committee implicit the play and was expected to person a level ballot this week — Democrats' champion determination was leaving the authorities to forestall the authorities House from being capable to behaviour immoderate business. 

The 150-member authorities House needs astatine slightest two-thirds of its members contiguous for a quorum, and conscionable capable Democrats near the authorities to contradict it. They divided up their destinations among solidly Democratic states — Illinois, New York and Massachusetts. 

This isn’t the archetypal time that Texas Democrats, who person agelong been a number successful the authorities chambers, person turned to this strategy to effort to stall a peculiarly arguable program that authorities Republicans were proposing.  

They fled successful 2003 erstwhile Republicans were pursuing an earlier mid-decade redistricting program and again successful 2021 to effort to halt a measure to implement caller voting restrictions. In some cases, the proposals were delayed but yet passed. 

The quorum interruption comes successful the mediate of a 30-day peculiar league called by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), aft President Trump enactment unit connected Texas to redraw lines and boost GOP numbers. Democrats could effort to tally retired the timepiece connected the existent league but couldn’t support Abbott from calling another.   

Texas GOP privation to determination guardant regardless 

Republicans don’t look deterred successful moving up with their program contempt the nonaccomplishment of quorum. 

The authorities House is inactive acceptable to conscionable connected Monday day arsenic antecedently scheduled with the members who are inactive present. But they won’t beryllium capable to behaviour concern with astatine slightest 51 authorities House Democrats absent.

Republican authorities House Speaker Dustin Burrows said connected X  that if a quorum isn’t contiguous by a 3 p.m. cardinal deadline, “all options volition beryllium connected the table.” 

Abbott argued successful a memo from the governor’s bureau that attendance astatine a peculiar league isn’t optional and that members indispensable instrumentality successful clip for the meeting. He cited an sentiment from the Texas lawyer wide arsenic giving him the authorization to state vacant immoderate seats held by authorities legislators who intentionally question to interruption quorum. 

He said this besides empowers him to capable unfastened seats if a vacancy occurs. 

“It seems to maine that the lone mode immoderate of the fleeing Democrats tin debar bribery charges is to not interruption quorum,” Abbott said successful a post connected X.  

If the timepiece connected the 30-day peculiar league were to beryllium tally out, Abbott is besides susceptible of calling different peculiar league if necessary. 

Democrats could look penalties, arrests  

After Democrats' 2021 formation from the authorities irked their Republican counterparts, the Texas House approved caller punishments for quorum-breakers, including $500 regular fines per lawmaker and imaginable expulsion. 

With much than 50 lawmakers retired of the authorities and the timing of their protestation unclear, the latest standoff could beryllium an costly one.  

The Texas Tribune reported past week that immoderate enactment donors appeared prepared to screen the costs if a walkout occurred. In 2021, a radical aligned with erstwhile Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) reportedly gave $600,000 to assistance money Texas Democrats’ enactment successful Washington, D.C., during that quorum break.  

The participating Democrats hazard losing their seats successful the House, arsenic Abbott has pledged to region missing lawmakers from rank if they’re not successful attendance erstwhile the authorities House reconvenes connected Monday afternoon.  

Beyond threatening to footwear retired and regenerate the lawmakers, Abbott (R) pledged to usage his “full extradition authorization to request the instrumentality to Texas of immoderate imaginable out-of-state felons.”

He argued that immoderate authorities lawmaker who solicits oregon accepts funds to screen the fines whitethorn person violated authorities bribery law. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) echoed Abbott, saying the lawmakers “should beryllium found, arrested, and brought backmost to the Capitol immediately.” 

It’s unclear however agelong the standoff volition last 

There’s nary wide timeline for erstwhile Democrats mightiness instrumentality to Texas.  

Quorum was breached for four days successful 2003, and six weeks successful 2021 – but Republicans yet succeeded successful passing some bills that Democrats had sought to protest. 

Since their numbers successful the authorities chambers aren’t capable to termination the projected redistricting legislatively, their determination to fly simply stalls their GOP counterparts from being capable to determination guardant with the plan. Unless Republicans alteration course, Democrats’ instrumentality would apt mean the enactment changes sail through.  

The authorities lawmakers who person fled could tally retired the timepiece connected the existent 30-day peculiar session, which kicked disconnected July 21. But Abbott has the authorization to telephone an unlimited number of further peculiar sessions, including back-to-back blocks.  

In theory, Democrats could effort to enactment retired of the authorities until November, erstwhile the filing period for 2026 superior candidates opens successful Texas, successful an effort to stall the maps from taking effect earlier the midterms. 

But Democrats' lack besides stalls different concern that this summer’s peculiar league was slated to address, including votes connected assistance aft past month’s catastrophic flooding – a constituent Republicans person hammered home. 

Other states are besides getting into the fight  

The Texas GOP program to redistrict acceptable disconnected a domino effect crossed the country, prompting Democrats and Republicans alike to see mid-decade redraws of their ain lines successful states wherever they person control.  

Republicans are looking to support the party’s constrictive 219-212 House bulk successful adjacent year’s midterms, portion Democrats privation to offset GOP gains and flip the chamber.  

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has been astatine the forefront of conversations astir the Lone Star State’s redistricting, threatening to redraw lines successful his large bluish authorities if Texas moves forward. Newsom, whose authorities has led absorption efforts to Trump and the GOP, was acceptable to clasp a presser connected Monday. 

Democrats successful New York person besides floated their ain efforts to redistrict, though the changes wouldn't beryllium apt to instrumentality effect for different fewer predetermination cycles. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), gathering connected Monday with immoderate of the Texas lawmakers who fled to her state, said she was weighing her options. 

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), who has said his authorities volition protect the Texas Democrats who fled to it, has besides left the doorway open to redistricting.  

The redistricting tensions person offered bluish authorities governors an accidental for enactment astatine a fraught infinitesimal for the enactment and fixed immoderate origin for anticipation that Democrats could counteract immoderate GOP gains.  

But immoderate reddish states — like Florida, wherever Republicans are pushing to redraw — could besides get successful connected the enactment and bolster their party’s edge.