‘Locate, Arrest, Return’: Texas Governor Targets Democrats Over Dodging Redistricting Vote

Last Updated:August 05, 2025, 19:45 IST

Democrats face fines and possible bribery charges for opposing redrawing of electoral boundaries.

Governor Abbott orders troopers to ‘locate, arrest and return’ absent Democrats amid boycott of vote. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers in Texas are facing arrest after Republican legislators voted to take action against them for fleeing the state to block a controversial redistricting plan, according to UK broadcaster BBC.

Republican Governor Greg Abbott has directed state troopers to “locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans." He also warned that Democrats who raise public funds to pay the daily fines imposed for their absence could face bribery charges.

The proposed redrawing of congressional boundaries is expected to flip five seats in favour of Republicans in the US House of Representatives, where the party currently holds a narrow majority.

The redistricting effort, though legal, is seen by critics as gerrymandering and possibly a tactic aimed at giving Republicans an edge in next year’s midterm elections, where the ruling party usually loses ground.

In Texas, as in many other US states, lawmakers draw the congressional maps themselves, typically once every decade after the national census.

Democrats, currently in the minority in the Texas legislature, have fled the state in sufficient numbers to deny the House the quorum it needs to conduct business.

“This isn’t a decision we’ve taken lightly, but one made with absolute moral clarity," said Gene Wu, chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, while speaking to news agency AFP.

In Texas, at least two-thirds of the 150-member state legislature must be present for a vote to take place. But the quorum was broken after over 50 Democratic lawmakers left the state.

The lawmakers left the state Sunday and most headed to Democratic-controlled Illinois, whose Governor JB Pritzker told a news conference that he would “protect" them.

They face at minimum a $500 fine per day of absence. But Texas Republicans raised the stakes, passing a motion to issue warrants for the missing Democrats’ arrests.

The warrants apply only within the state, however, meaning the missing legislators could only be detained on their return.

Governor Greg Abbott, a close Trump ally, has also threatened to push for the lawmakers to be expelled, saying their absences amount to “an abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office."

Democratic lawmakers have dismissed Abbott’s threats as bluster, with state representative Ann Johnson on Monday telling CNN, “I think it shows how desperate they are."

Austin, Texas

News world ‘Locate, Arrest, Return’: Texas Governor Targets Democrats Over Dodging Redistricting Vote

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