Texas Democrats fled the state on Sunday to deny the GOP a legislative quorum as part of an effort to prevent Republicans from redrawing the Lone Star State’s congressional maps

The move deprives the Texas state legislature of the numbers it needs to function, stalling progress on the maps – but comes with big risks for the state Democrats, including steep fines and the threat of arrest.

It adds another layer to the battle that’s been brewing in Texas, though it's unclear just how much this could impact the GOP plans.

Separately, talk of redistricting is building in other states as both parties ready for next year's high-stakes midterms.

Here are five things to know.

Texas Democrats are trying to slow GOP redistricting push

With the GOP firmly in control of both houses of Texas’s state legislature, Democrats didn’t have many avenues available to stop Republicans from plowing forward with their plan, which could give Republicans another five House seats.

Without enough power in the House to vote down the proposed changes — which advanced out of committee over the weekend and was expected to receive a floor vote this week — Democrats' best move was leaving the state to prevent the state House from being able to conduct any business.

The 150-member state House needs at least two-thirds of its members present for a quorum, and just enough Democrats left the state to deny it. They split up their destinations among solidly Democratic states — Illinois, New York and Massachusetts.

This isn’t the first time that Texas Democrats, who have long been a minority in the state chambers, have turned to this strategy to try to stall a particularly controversial plan that state Republicans were proposing.

They fled in 2003 when Republicans were pursuing an earlier mid-decade redistricting plan and again in 2021 to try to stop a bill to implement new voting restrictions. In both cases, the proposals were delayed but ultimately passed.........

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