The Texas House of Representatives was forced to adjourn for the second time Friday after failing to meet the minimum attendance threshold upon gaveling in for the second special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) to vote on mid-decade redistricting.
Abbott ordered the second special session almost immediately after the first session, called to vote on enacting the new congressional map, concluded earlier Friday. The Texas House chamber has not been able to move forward with the GOP redistricting plans after dozens of state Democrats fled the state, effectively preventing the chamber from reaching a quorum or the necessary attendance required to vote.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows gaveled out the first session at 10:04 a.m. local time, adjourning the House “sine die.” Only 95 members were present, and 100 members are needed for a quorum.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) immediately called a second session at noon, but only 97 members were present, and the chamber adjourned. Republicans expect a quorum to be reached on Monday, when the House reconvenes.
A majority of the state House’s 62 Democrats who fled announced Thursday that they plan to return home after nearly two weeks of being scattered across Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts.
“Members, while we still do not have a quorum, I want to point out that this outcome may be a win for Texans,” Burrows said. “If our absent colleagues had shown up this morning, they could have used a few remaining days to stall or possibly even block the passage of critical legislation.”
“By following Gov. [Gavin] Newsom’s lead, instead of the will of Texans, they have allowed us to reset the clock,” the speaker added.
Burrows said he aims to have the second session wrapped up by Labor Day.
The minority party said during a press conference on Thursday that it “successfully mobilized the nation” against Republicans’ plans to boost their majority by as many as five seats in Texas’s delegation.
“Now, as Democrats across the nation join our fight to cause these maps to fail their political purpose, we’re prepared to bring this battle back to Texas under the right conditions and to take this fight to the courts,” Texas House Minority Leader Gene Wu said.
The Texas Democrats’ redistricting fight has drawn support from several national leaders, including former President Barack Obama, who streamed into a meeting with the minority caucus on Thursday.
To offset any Republican gains in Texas, California is preparing for a Nov. 4 special election to vote on a ballot measure that would allow the state to redraw its map and circumvent the independent redistricting committee.
A commission, which several states use, makes it harder for California to engage in mid-decade redistricting compared to Texas, which does not have that barrier and instead approves maps through the legislature.
Abbott has said he will call for special sessions until the new map, spearheaded by President Donald Trump and national Republicans, is passed. Democrats have claimed that Republicans are doing mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections because the GOP is afraid it will lose the majority in the U.S. House.
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Democrats only need a net gain of three seats to take back the majority, and Republicans’ recent passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act put several of their centrist, swing-district members in the hot seat as they work to convince voters that the GOP should still have a trifecta.
Redistricting efforts in Texas and California are being criticized by lawmakers and strategists in both parties who are concerned that it will turn into a never-ending war and could make Congress more partisan in the long run.