Texas home votes to approve Republican redistricting maps

[ad_1] <img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/bbec/live/c2da0ee0-7e1c-11f0-a9e3-1500d8bf8472.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/bbec/live/c2da0ee0-7e1c-11f0-a9e3-1500d8bf8472.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/bbec/live/c2da0ee0-7e1c-11f0-a9e3-1500d8bf8472.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/bbec/live/c2da0ee0-7e1c-11f0-a9e3-1500d8bf8472.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/bbec/live/c2da0ee0-7e1c-11f0-a9e3-1500d8bf8472.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/bbec/live/c2da0ee0-7e1c-11f0-a9e3-1500d8bf8472.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/bbec/live/c2da0ee0-7e1c-11f0-a9e3-1500d8bf8472.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/bbec/live/c2da0ee0-7e1c-11f0-a9e3-1500d8bf8472.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Getty Images Texas state lawmakers huddle in the House chamber " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Getty Photos Texas legislators have authorized new congressional maps meant to offer Republicans an edge in subsequent yr's elections for the US Home of Representatives.

After a two-week standoff, the place Democrats fled the state to stall the vote and rally supporters in opposition to the redistricting plans, Republicans within the Texas Home of Representatives handed the brand new voting strains in an 88 - 52 vote.

The maps will now go to the Texas Senate, the place they're anticipated to be swiftly authorized.

The brand new maps are supposed give Republicans 5 seats which can be at present held by Democrats and shore up the get together's US Home majority. Nonetheless, Democrat-led states are pushing to redraw their maps to offset these good points.

President Donald Trump backed redrawing the maps to safeguard a Republican majority within the US Home, when congressional lawmakers will once more be on the poll in 2026.

The vote adopted a dramatic standoff, the place state Democrats fled the state to halt the brand new maps from being voted on.

At the least two-thirds of the 150-member state legislative physique in Texas should be current to proceed with the vote, known as a quorum. It turned unreachable within the Texas Home of Representatives after Democrats fled.

Texas Gov Greg Abbott issued arrest warrants for members of the group and a number of Democrats stated regulation enforcement had been monitoring their properties whereas they had been gone.

The lawmakers returned this week, saying they believed their stalling helped garner widespread consciousness of the redistricting plans and precipitated a number of states to mull their very own plans to counter Republicans.

In an effort to make sure Democrats wouldn't try to halt the vote once more, Texas Home Speaker Dustin Burrows on Monday ordered the home chamber doorways be locked.

He additionally stated Democrats can be "launched into the custody" of a delegated officer to make sure they return to the statehouse on Wednesday for the redistricting vote.

A number of Democrats as a substitute ripped up the written agreements that they had been required to signal for the police escort. One lawmaker, state Rep Nicole Collier elected to sleep in the home chamber as a substitute of being escorted by an officer.

Within the time since Texas began mulling these new voting maps, different states managed by each political events - together with Florida, New York, Ohio and Missouri - have been mulling political adjustments to their voting maps.

California lawmakers are at present debating new maps that might give new benefits to Democrats in 5 districts, which might cancel out adjustments made in Texas.

A key provision in California says the modified maps would solely go into impact if Texas or different states went forward with adjustments favouring Republicans.

The modified maps in Texas sparked considerations about gerrymandering - the redrawing of electoral boundaries to favour a political get together - which is authorized except it's racially motivated.

Like different states, Texas usually redraws congressional districts as soon as a decade when new inhabitants information is launched by the US Census.

Texas Democrats contend that redrawing the maps earlier than the following census depend in 2030 is being executed alongside racial strains - an argument that has been rejected by Republicans. Voting maps that had been authorized in 2021 after the final inhabitants depend are at present being litigated over allegations of racial discrimination.

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