The Texas House of Representatives reached a quorum on Monday after Democrats returned to Austin ending a two-week standoff with Republicans over proposed congressional maps, potentially clearing the way for Republicans to approve changes that could net Republicans as many as five new House seats next year.
According to a preliminary and unofficial tally of the roll call House Speaker Dustin Burrows took that posted by the Texas legislature Monday afternoon, 120 members responded affirmatively for the roll call, including 32 Democrats, while 30 others — all Democrats — are listed as absent.
The House later referred the new version of the bill that includes new congressional maps to the House’s committee on redistricting, an expected procedural move that the House needs to follow again because it has started a new legislative session. The House did not take any votes and adjourned until Wednesday.
Burrows said that civil arrest warrants remain in force for Democratic members who prevented the House from reaching a quorum over the past few weeks.
In an aerial view, the State Capitol is seen on August 14, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
“The House has been through a tumultuous two weeks, but this institution long predates us and will long outlast each of us,” Burrows said. “Representatives come and go, issues rise and fall, but this body has endured wars, economic depressions and quorum breaks dating back to the very first session. It will withstand this too, and what will remain is a chamber where the majority has the right to prevail, the minority has the right to be heard.”
Democrats did not confirm any specific action they plan to take on or off the House floor, but they say that they are going to build a “legal case against the discriminatory map”. The new maps are widely expected to be hit by lawsuits if they pass the legislature.
“We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance and intimidation, and rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation — reshaping the entire 2026 landscape,” Democratic Caucus chair state Rep. Gene Wu said in a statement. “We’re returning to Texas more dangerous to Republicans’ plans than when we left.”
At least one House Democrat, state Rep. Aicha Davis, said in a statement Monday she would not be one of the Democrats who would help restore a quorum.
“I made a commitment to my district that I would fight until the end to keep our representation intact and I’m staying true to my word,” Davis said in a statement.
Democratic state Rep. Erin Zwiener said at a news conference after the House adjourned that Democrats are tapping legal and voting rights experts, and from the floor, “We are going to build a record that helps the legal fight go forward; we will try to persuade our [GOP] colleagues to do the right thing, but quite frankly I’m disappointed in the level of moral courage I see from a lot of my colleagues. And we’re going to speak about the real impact of these districts.”
Asked if there was any chance Democrats leave the state again, Zwiener said that all options remain on the table and that she would not discuss strategy,
After the Texas state legislature began a second special legislative session on Friday and failed still to meet quorum, Republican legislators are expected to try for a quorum Monday and then to work to advance the new maps, which will have to once again pass through the House’s redistricting committee and procedural votes.
Separately, in California, days after Gov. Gavin Newsom formally announced plans to get new congressional maps to go before voters in November in a counter to Texas, the state legislature will convene on Monday from recess and is set to rapidly work on passing legislation to get the maps on the ballot. Republicans and anti-gerrymandering advocates plan to protest and to call out what they say is an unfair process.
Democratic governors in Illinois and New York have also threatened to respond to Texas in kind and a bill in Maryland’s Democrat-controlled state House would force the state to change its map if another state proposed a new map mid-decade. Republican-controlled Florida and Missouri are also reportedly considering redistricting before the midterms.
The Trump administration has invited Indiana Republicans to the White House next week to hear from senior officials and Cabinet secretaries how they can partner with the administration to support Trump’s agenda, according to an invitation reviewed by ABC News. A source with knowledge of the event told ABC News that it’s expected that redistricting will be discussed as the White House ramps up pressure on Indiana state lawmakers to redraw congressional districts ahead of next year’s midterms.
Vice President JD Vance traveled to Indiana earlier this month to discuss redistricting with lawmakers at the state capitol.
ABC News’ Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
