Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to jail and expel Texas House Democrats who fled the state to avoid a redistricting vote unless they return by Monday afternoon.
Dozens of Texas Democratic state representatives came to Chicago on Sunday night to block the vote. Shortly after Abbott’s statement, the Texas House Democratic Caucus responded simply: “Come and take it.”
The letter also referred to Republicans’ proposed districts, which might result in five more GOP House seats in next year’s midterm elections, as a “racist mid-decade redistricting scheme.”
Abbott harshly criticized the abrupt departure of the Democrats, initiating his demand for their return with the statement, “Real Texans don’t flee from a battle.”
“Rather than doing their job and voting on urgent legislation affecting the lives of all Texans, they have fled Texas to deprive the House of the quorum necessary to meet and conduct business,” he wrote.
To conduct business, at least 100 of the 150-member Texas House must be present, and about 50 Democrats have left. Abbott stated that their commitment to voting as elected state officials is mandatory and “not optional.”
The Texas House is scheduled to reconvene at 3 p.m. on Monday, and Abbott has stated that “derelict Democrat House members must return” by then or face removal from their offices by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The Republican AG has already stated that the lawmakers “should be found and arrested no matter where they go.”
Abbott also said a legislator determined to have “forfeited his or her office due to abandonment” can be removed from office under the Texas Constitution, thereby creating a vacancy, which the governor can “swiftly fill” under Article III, Section 13.
Removal from office is not the only threat facing the lawmakers on the run, as Abbott warned that “soliciting funds to evade the fines they will incur under House rules” is potentially a felony.
“Any Democrat who ‘solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept’ such funds to assist in the violation of legislative duties or for purposes of skipping a vote may have violated bribery laws,” he wrote, citing the Texas Penal Code. He added that anyone who “offers, confers, or agrees to confer” money to the fleeing lawmakers could also face charges.
Abbott concluded his statement by saying he will “use [his] full extradition authority to demand the return to Texas of any potential out-of-state felons.”
The proposal’s current design would favor Republicans in traditionally blue cities such as Dallas and Houston, as well as relocate Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett out of her district.
During a news conference in Chicago on Sunday, House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu stated that lawmakers are “not here to play political games. We’ve come to put a stop to this rotten system.”
During the news conference, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker expressed his support for the Texas Democrats, describing their departure as a “righteous act of courage” and alleging Republicans want to suppress “millions of voices, especially Black and Latino voters.”
“Texas Democrats were left with no choice but to leave their home state, block a vote from taking place, and protect their constituents,” Pritzker said.
The lawmakers have not stated a potential timeline for returning to Texas.
Tensions ran high at the Texas Capitol last week as lawmakers held their first public hearing on a controversial plan to redraw the state’s congressional map just four years after the last one was finalized.
The five-hour hearing, hosted by the Texas House Redistricting Committee, drew dozens of speakers from across the state. Not a single person spoke in favor of the redistricting effort.
The most dramatic moment came at the end, when District 18 congressional candidate Isaiah Martin was forcibly removed by Capitol security after refusing to stop speaking when his two-minute limit ran out.
“The sergeants are directed to remove the gentleman from the room,” said Chairman Cody Vasut, as Martin struggled with security and shouted, “History will not remember you for what you have done!”