DALLAS – With the looming proposal to redraw Texas’ congressional districts, the prospect of leaving the state to prevent a vote is appealing to some critics.
If Democrats were to break quorum, not only would lawmakers face fines, but they could also hold up movement on other legislation.
Texas Democrats consider options 
The latest:
As the debate on redistricting continues, Texas Democrats are considering their options to hold off the vote.
Democrat lawmakers could break quorum, a strategy used in 2021 when lawmakers flew to Washington, D.C., over changes to election laws.
However, in 2023, the state legislature passed a law saying that those who break quorum face a $500 fine each day they’re absent.
What they’re saying:
“The other thing is, they have to be out of the state. If they’re in the state, then they can be apprehended,” Wilson said.
Dr. Matthew Wilson is a political science expert with Southern Methodist University.
Sources confirm to FOX 4 that some Democratic donors have offered to pay the fines. Wilson says this is teetering on the line of violating campaign finance laws.
“I think it’s a very dicey legal situation, and Democrats admit as much, that there are campaign finance complications with this. Because if you have donors paying the personal fines that lawmakers have accrued as a result of their conduct, that comes dangerously close to looking like a bribe, and that’s a bad look in the court of public opinion,” said Wilson.
Wilson says Democrats claim they have found some legal workaround, but that’s not the only issue Democrats will need to consider.
If Republicans wait to pass final flood relief measures until redistricting has been considered, and Democrats leave the state, breaking quorum could hold up both bills.
“Republicans will say, ‘look, we’re all set to pass this flood response. All we need is Democrats to come back and do their job and be present for their elected responsibilities so that we can move these bills through,’” Wilson said.
Whether Democrat lawmakers break quorum or not, Wilson believes their efforts against redistricting are not all lost.
“They will try, and probably will succeed at some level, at least temporarily, in scoring some points in the court of public opinion,” said Wilson.
What’s next:
There’s no timeframe on when Democrat lawmakers could make a decision to leave the state.
Sources tell us that the new redistricting maps will be released soon, at which point the debate will begin over the proposals.
The Source: SMU’s Dr. Matthew Wilson contributed to this story.