Main summary
The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, will continue to promote a new redistribution map of electoral districts in the state even after the deadline for the registration of candidates for the next primary elections, intensifying its open conflict with more than 50 Texas Democratic legislators who abandoned the State to block the vote on a map that, if it is signed, could add five seats for the republicans in the Republican USA.
Key data
- Abbott said in an interview with Jake Tapper of CNN that the deadline of December 8 for the registration of candidates for the March primaries will not stop Republicans in his attempt to redraw the maps.
- According to The Texas Tribune, electoral officials have indicated that they cannot move forward with the March elections without ending maps, which means that the Democrats could continue to block the vote to use the current map instead of the new.
- Abbott was firm in his position of not allowing the elections to stand in the redesign process of districts, stating that if the Democrats believe they can “wait until December”, they are wrong. He added: “I’m going to do this for the next two years, and basically they will have to move to Illinois,” one of the states where several Democrats have fled.
- He also said that he will continue to call extraordinary sessions to vote on the new map, telling NBC News on August 8 that the Democrats will not return to Texas until “like 2027 or 2028, because I will call an extraordinary session after extraordinary session with the same themes on the agenda”.
Additional data
The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has threatened to make a similar redistribution in his state if Texas advances with his new map, which could counteract or overcome the five additional seats that Texas could win. In response, Abbott told Tapper that Texas could eliminate 10 Democratic districts if California carries out that measure.
Soser context: Governor of Texas wants to expel the Democrats who abandoned the State, can it do it legally?
What is not known
When the Democrats will return to Texas. If they only plan to be absent during the current extraordinary session to avoid vote on the map, they must remain out of the State until August 20. Legislators such as state representative Rafael Anchía have said they are willing to return to vote on other laws, but not to “participate in an illegal act that violates the law of vote law.”
Context
Texas has postponed elections before due to disputes over districts redistribution. In 2012, the primaries were delayed several months by disputes on a proposed map. The Texas Tribune warns that a similar result could be repeated this year, which puts workers and voting centers already organized for March and April.
Meanwhile, Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have presented requests before the State Supreme Court to empty 13 Democratic seats in the Texas House of Representatives, arguing that legislators have shown “an intention to resign and abandon their positions” when leaving the State. However, the legal processes to vacate the seats could be long and complicated.
This note was originally posted in Forbes USA
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