The Texas State Senate committee passed a bill to redraw congressional districts on Sunday (August 17) and held a public hearing before the vote. If the bill eventually passes both houses of the Texas Legislature and becomes law, it could potentially gain five additional seats for the Republican Party in the 2026 midterm elections.
On Sunday, the committee approved Senate Bill 4 with a vote of 6-3, similar to the proposal previously considered at the first special session regarding redrawing district maps. During the first special session, the Texas Senate approved a redistricting bill by party lines with a vote of 19-2.
The new legislation passed by the committee in the State Senate on Sunday will now be submitted to the full Senate for a vote.
As a standard procedure, a public hearing was held before the vote. Opponents at the hearing expressed concerns that the redistricting process was rushed and could dilute the voting rights of communities of color.
The redistricting effort initiated by Texas Republicans ahead of the 2026 election has sparked significant controversy. Two weeks ago, Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives collectively left the state before a full chamber vote on the congressional redistricting bill, aiming to prevent the legislation from passing in the Republican-controlled Texas House by disrupting the quorum necessary for legislative action.
The incident has caused a stir not only in Texas but also nationwide. Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned on August 3 that if the Democratic lawmakers did not return for the reconvened session the following day, he would take action to remove them from the state legislature.
On August 4, the Texas House of Representatives passed a motion by a vote of 85-6 to authorize the arrest of the absent Democratic members, with the House Speaker signing civil arrest warrants shortly thereafter.
The Democratic lawmakers from Texas traveled to states led by Democrats such as Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts, where they were welcomed and supported by their leadership. Leaders in Democratic strongholds like California and New York even indicated retaliatory redistricting actions to ensure more Democratic seats in the 2026 elections.
The Texas House Democratic members who fled the state announced last Thursday that they would return to Texas after retaliatory redistricting maps were proposed in the California legislature.