1 month ago
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(NewsNation) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened Democrats who fled the state to forestall a redistricting effort by Republicans with removal from the authorities House.
Abbott said the lawmakers could beryllium extradited and suggested they could go felons.
Some Texas lawmakers took refuge astir 1,000 miles distant successful Illinois to forestall a quorum that would let the authorities to redraw its voting map.
"I and my colleagues are determined to not fto Trump bid Gov. Abbott to rig our legislature districts," said authorities Rep. Vikki Goodwin. "We judge Democracy is connected the line."
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has voiced his support arsenic lawmakers entity to what they accidental is an undemocratic and racist effort to redraw the Texas representation successful bid to springiness Republicans much districts.
"He's been supportive, he's told america that each options are connected the array if Gov. Abbott doesn't backmost down," said Texas authorities Rep. John Bucy.
While astir 57 lawmakers headed to Illinois, others fled to Boston and New York.
Lawmakers who walked retired could look a good of $500 per time for each time of the peculiar league they miss, and enactment leaders reportedly said they fearfulness the anticipation of arrest, which Abbott has threatened.
Abbott gave lawmakers until 3 p.m. CDT connected Monday to instrumentality oregon risk being removed from the House.
The representation astatine the halfway of the contention was projected past week and would springiness Republicans a larger majority, going from a 25-13 vantage to a 30-8 split.
The representation would besides divided districts to marque it hard for existent Democrats to triumph successful areas astir Austin, Dallas and Houston, arsenic good arsenic southbound Texas.
Democrats reason the representation is racially biased and targets Hispanic and Black incumbents, which Republicans person denied.
"What they're truly trying to bash is thrust a spear done the bosom of number practice successful this country," said Texas Democratic seat Kendall Scudder. "If they're palmy successful Texas, they're going to effort to bash it each crossed the country. They won't halt until the U.S. Congress is whiter than it was earlier Reconstruction."
Texas was erstwhile required by the 1965 Voting Rights Act to taxable its redistricting plans to the national authorities for reappraisal due to the fact that of its past of discrimination, but the U.S. Supreme Court declared successful 2013 the request was outdated and unconstitutional. The enactment requires states to person the fig of districts successful which number voters tin elite a campaigner bespeak their percent of the population.
The program creates 5 caller districts without immoderate incumbents, and sponsoring Republican authorities Rep. Todd Hunter noted that successful 4 of them, astatine slightest fractional of the voting-age U.S. citizens are minorities, and determination would beryllium 10 Hispanic-majority districts, alternatively than the existent nine.
Hunter acknowledged the lines were being redrawn “for partisan purposes,” which helium said is allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court. He said a instrumentality steadfast was consulted arsenic the representation was being drawn.
Democrats fearfulness the propulsion for redistricting could grow to different states, with the GOP moving to redraw territory maps to clasp powerfulness by splitting up districts wherever Democratic voters are concentrated.
Some Democrats person urged bluish states to combat backmost by doing the same, including Illinois, wherever the state's legislature representation has already faced accusations of partisan gerrymandering.
In summation to the caller map, the existent peculiar league is besides acceptable to ballot connected flood alleviation pursuing catastrophic flooding successful Texas' Hill Country portion successful July. Without a quorum, the Texas House volition beryllium incapable to walk alleviation for those affected, thing that could travel backmost to wound absent Democrats erstwhile it is clip for elections.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
