Donald Trump has been back in the Oval Office as 47th president of the United States for a little over six months. In that time, he has kept the world economy busy with ever more punitive tariffs, hammered away at the foundations of American democracy, severely limited the rights of minorities such as the LGBTQ+ community in the US and militarized immigration policy.

Opposition to the policies of Trump and his fellow Republicans (GOP) has been voiced loud enough to be heard on the international stage on only a few occasions. Things have to be pretty spectacular to cut through the din, like the No Kings Day marches on June 14 — when millions of people across the country hit the streets to protest what they said was Trump acting more like an all-powerful monarch than a democratically elected president.

Now, Texas' Democratic lawmakers are taking a stand. More than 50 Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives — the lower house of the state's bicameral legislature — fled the state on Sunday in order to halt a key vote. Votes in the Texas House require two-thirds of legislators to be present. There are a total of 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives in Austin, Democrats hold 62 of them — and according to media reports, at least 51 of those politicians are currently out of state. No quorum, no vote.

What was the Texas House supposed to vote on?

At the center of the fight is an issue that never fails to make waves in US politics — the drawing of political districting maps. President Trump wants Texas Republicans to redraw theirs while they have the chance — and he wants it done before the November 2026 midterm elections. Among those elected in the midterms are all members of the US House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

Republicans have a lot of power in Washington these days; not only do they have the presidency, they also control both chambers of Congress — the US Senate and the US House of Representatives — where laws are written and passed, and important government positions filled. 

Whereas all 50 states each send two senators to Washington, things get more complicated when it comes to the number of representatives — with each state sending a different number, proportionate to their population. Texas has the second-highest number of representatives: 38 of them hailing from 38 different electoral districts. Each district operates on a simple majority, winner-take-all principle, meaning that the candidate with 51% of the vote wins the district and the seat — gaining the right to represent the district's citizens in Washington despite as many as 49% of them possibly voting for someone else.

The GOP currently holds a 219-212 majority in the US House of Representatives, with four seats vacant. When those seats are filled, Democrats could win back control of the US House by picking up just three seats.

With an eye to the midterms, Trump began leaning on Texas Republicans to redraw voting maps to break up Democrat-leaning districts back in June. Although redistricting usually takes place every 10 years, following a census, this move after just five years has sparked a state battle with national implications — with Governor Greg Abbott calling a special legislative session scheduled to last until August 19 to force through the measure, and Democrats fleeing the state to keep it from happening.

Right now, 25 of Texas' 38 US House seats are held by Republicans. Trump and his GOP want to maintain that dominance and even add seats. One way to make that a reality is to redraw electoral districts in a way that would benefit Republican candidates — a practice known as "gerrymandering."

What is gerrymandering?

The term gerrymandering dates back to the year 1812, when Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry ordered new lines be drawn to define voting districts. One of the new districts drawn up at the governor's behest looked like a salamander to some observers, leading newspapers to run cartoons and editorials featuring the portmanteau Gerry-mander — combining the governor's name with the animal.

In establishing a district's borders, those drawing them can determine whether it will be populated by likely Republican voters (conservative, largely white Americans, without college degrees) or those more likely to vote Democrat (progressive, often Black voters, with college degrees).

Our chart makes clear how one party can gain an outsize advantage depending on how districts are drawn.

Is gerrymandering legal?

With Republicans in control of both chambers of the Texas State Capitol as well as having Abbott in the governor's mansion, it is a foregone conclusion that they will do all they can to see Trump's plan through — if they can vote on it.

Gerrymandering isn't illegal; on the contrary, it is part of the political process in the US. In 2019, the US Supreme Court ruled that federal courts have no power to weigh in on whether or not a state's districting maps are fair to both parties. Some state courts have also ruled that they have an obligation to stay out of the fray because they cannot decide political arguments.

That usually leaves the drawing of district maps to state politicians, as is the case in Texas. Other states, like California and Michigan, have established nonpartisan districting commissions to carry out the task. Others still do leave districting to their courts, and six states have a population so small that they only have one House representative anyhow — so they don't have to worry about the stress that would go into drawing district lines.

What happens next in Texas?

Governor Abbott recently told Fox News that Democrats had forfeited their seats in the Texas House of Representatives "because they are not doing the job they were elected to do." Abbott criticized his Democratic colleagues' behavior as "un-Texan" adding, "Texans don't run from a fight."

Whether the governor can legally vacate Democratic seats in the Texas House is not entirely clear. But the breach of legislative rules can, for instance, trigger financial penalties. Moreover, Abbott can continue to call special sessions in the Texas State House, meaning that he can demand a vote as soon as Democrats return — or can be brought back — to Texas.

Abbott has also tasked state law enforcement with tracking down and arresting Democratic lawmakers. But Texas State Troopers have no authority beyond state lines, and most Democrats who fled the state are reportedly hunkered down in Democratic strongholds like Chicago, New York and Boston. It looks like it could take some time to resolve the deadlock.

This article was originally written in German and translated into English by Jon Shelton.