"The new map has been approved by the House. This 'great map' will add five more Republican-leaning voting districts. A big win for the conservative movement in Texas", the Republican caucus in the Texas House announced on 20/8 on X.

This result increases the Republicans' chances of gaining five seats in the US House of Representatives in the 2025 midterm elections, potentially solidifying their majority in Congress.

This marks a significant victory for the Republicans after their previous attempt to pass the map stalled when Texas Democratic lawmakers left the state on 3/8 to prevent the House from voting.

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows presides over the session on 18/8. Photo: AP

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows presides over the session on 18/8. Photo: AP

Republicans hold a majority in the 150-seat Texas House, but the chamber couldn't vote on the new map without a two-thirds quorum. After 15 days out of state, the Democratic lawmakers returned on 18/8, allowing the Texas House to hold the vote.

The session, which began at 11 a.m. on 20/8, turned into a hours-long standoff between Republicans and Democrats, with Democrats introducing amendments to delay the process. The session at times became tense, with personal attacks exchanged between lawmakers from both parties.

"Would you all believe that it would be good process if the public were involved in a way that they could visibly see what's going on? Or do we want to do everything in the dark here?", Democratic Representative Barbara Gervin-Hawkins said.

"Well, you've been in the dark for 18 days", Republican Representative Todd Hunter, who introduced the new election map in the Texas House, retorted.

Texas is allocated 38 seats in the US House of Representatives. Republicans currently hold 25 seats, Democrats hold 12, and one seat is vacant. If the Texas Senate approves the new map and Governor Greg Abbott signs it into law, Republicans will have the opportunity to increase their number of seats in the US House to 30.

Current Texas electoral map and the proposed map by Republican lawmakers. Graphic: CNN

Current Texas electoral map and the proposed map by Republican lawmakers. Graphic: CNN

After each US Census Bureau decennial census, states reapportion their US House seats based on population changes. This process requires states to redraw their congressional district boundaries to ensure each district has roughly the same population.

The most common method for redrawing these districts is for the state legislature to draft and approve a new map. This often leads to the party in power attempting to draw maps that give them an advantage in US House elections, causing controversy in state legislatures.

Duc Trung (According to Hill, WSJ, FOX News)