Texas Senate approves new Republican electoral map

Texas state lawmakers on Saturday morning approved a new electoral map that could give up to five additional seats to the Republican Party in the federal House of Representatives.

Senators voted split along party lines 18-11 after more than eight hours of debate. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott must now ratify the new map in order for it to take effect.

The Republican initiative specifically changes districts in traditionally Democratic areas such as Austin, Dallas, Houston and South Texas. In doing so, Republicans secured greater opportunities to extend their control in the House.

This partisan targeted redistricting is called Gerrymandering and has become a common practice in the United States. In fact, in California, the most populous state in the country, Democrats responded with the same strategy. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a California map that would give his party as many as five additional seats to Counter the Texas initiative.

On Thursday, the California state legislature passed that plan unanimously, with a resounding majority in both houses, controlled by Democrats.