Overview

• Texas lawmakers voted 88–52 in the state House to advance a Republican redistricting plan outside the normal census cycle, with the measure still awaiting the GOP‑led Senate and Governor Greg Abbott’s signature.
• Democrats tried to block the Texas vote by leaving the state to deny a quorum, and Rep. Nicole Collier said she refused a police escort and stayed overnight in the chamber before the bill ultimately passed.
• Republican proponents and President Donald Trump say the Texas map could yield up to five additional GOP U.S. House seats, and Trump urged other states to follow suit.
• California’s Legislature approved a plan projected to create five Democratic‑leaning districts, Governor Gavin Newsom signed it, and voters will decide the new map in a November 4 referendum.
• Courts have limited power to police partisan gerrymanders after a 2019 Supreme Court ruling, though racial‑discrimination claims remain viable, and officials in states including Ohio, Florida, Maryland and Illinois are weighing similar moves.