Texas Democrats consider leaving state to block redistricting vote

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — President Donald Trump has urged Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional map to secure more seats in Congress for the GOP.

This proposal has prompted some Texas Democrats to contemplate leaving the state to prevent Republicans from having the quorum needed to pass the changes.

El Paso State Representative Vince Perez expressed his concerns about the potential redistricting plans, which he believes could significantly alter how El Paso is represented in the U.S. Congress.

“I think quorum break is a very serious response that should be used very sparingly in extreme circumstances. I do believe that this is an extreme circumstance,” said Perez.

Perez warned that the proposed changes could divide El Paso into multiple districts, potentially diluting the political influence of racial minorities.

“They could try to divide El Paso into two or three different districts,” Perez said.

Perez also noted the possibility of redrawing lines to concentrate Hispanic populations in West Texas, which could impact representation.

The Texas Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting has been holding hearings on the issue, gathering input from residents, including those from El Paso.

Eugenia Gonzalez, an El Paso resident, shared her perspective on the importance of understanding community differences.

“I believe these differences came from our lived experiences the communities in which we were raised,” Gonzalez said.

Cheryll Felder emphasized the need for transparency in the redistricting process.

“To make an intelligent decision, we need to know what the map is going to look like, because El Paso has already been disenfranchised at the state level by not granting us an additional district,” Felder said.

Carl Dwyer, leader of the El Paso chapter of the NAACP, criticized the redistricting efforts.

“This effort to manipulate boundaries for political gain undermines the integrity of our electoral process and erodes public trust in our democratic institutions,” Dwyer said.

However, El Paso Republican Party Chairman Michael Aboud dismissed the concerns of opponents.

“That’s garbage, okay, I can’t think of any better word, but that’s garbage. The Hispanics of El Paso are not being represented at all. We’re being ignored tremendously ignored,” Aboud said.

Aboud argued that the current map is overly gerrymandered, protecting safe seats for both Republicans and El Paso Democrats, and believes a new map would be fairer.

RELATED: Texas lawmakers hold simultaneous redistricting hearings as tension mount statewide

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