At least 51 Texas House Democrats (the total is unsure at this time) left the state Sunday afternoon to protest the congressional redistricting bill, House Bill (HB) 4 by Rep. Todd Hunter (R–Corpus Christi).

Democrats split up, headed to three different locations—some to Illinois, where Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has floated the idea of redistricting in response to the Texas map; some to New York, where they are expected to meet with Gov. Kathy Hochul (D); and some to Boston, where the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is meeting this week.

At least 51 members of the House being out of state prevents the chamber from reaching a quorum, the minimum number of members required to conduct business. The House will effectively be at a standstill, unable to hold hearings or votes, so long as it lacks a quorum.

“This is not a decision we make lightly, but it is one we make with absolute moral clarity,” Rep. Gene Wu (D–Houston), the Texas House Democratic Caucus chair, said in a statement. “We’re leaving Texas to fight for Texans. We will not allow disaster relief to be held hostage to a Trump gerrymander. We’re not walking out on our responsibilities; we’re walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent. As of today, this corrupt special session is over.”

In response to the news, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock) released the following statement: “The Texas House will be convening at 3:00 pm tomorrow. If a quorum is not present then, to borrow the recent talking points from some of my Democrat colleagues, all options will be on the table.”

In a statement released late Sunday night, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said he would seek an opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton regarding his ability “to remove the missing Democrats from membership in the Texas House” if they do not return by 3 p.m. Monday.

The special session is set to end Aug. 20. However, Abbott has the power to call as many special sessions as he wants. As always, stay tuned to Teach the Vote for updates from the ATPE lobby team.