Democratic representatives in Texas broke quorum on Aug. 3. Breaking quorum is when there is a policy being presented that a large group of individuals do not want to pass, they leave so that the need of attendance cannot be met. This time around, Texas House Democrats did not want a bill centered around redistricting to pass.  

According to the Center for American Progress, in July, President Donald Trump ordered Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to redistrict his state in the middle of the decade. The bill would cause the addition of five new Republican Congress seats, with the goal of passage before midterm elections. 

“In the testimony heard during committee meetings in Austin, Houston and Arlington, 99% of bipartisan feedback was negative,” Texas Rep. Chris Turner (D) said.

 Citizens across the state rushed to provide their feedback, the majority surrounding the clarity of the legislation.

 “It’s a confusing process for citizens,” Turner said. “Citizens will not know who their representatives are.”

 Redistricting in Texas commonly occurs after a census of area population is released by the U.S. Census Bureau; this bill overrides this process. Without the census, counties are separated from their local representatives. 

“Special districts in Texas, such as school districts, rely on a close, often pre-existing relationship with their representative,” Turner said.

As all but 12 Texas House Democrats returned from Chicago, the bill passed in the Texas Senate. The new map is set to go into effect in November of 2026 right before midterms.