ELECTION INTERGITYDenying Quorum Has Been a Texas Political Strategy Since 1870
While the Democrats could technically derail the GOP’s redistricting map, such efforts have been largely symbolic and had limited success blocking past legislation, experts say.
In June 1870, 13 Texas senators walked out of the Capitol to block a bill giving the governor wartime powers, depriving the upper chamber of the two-thirds quorum required for voting. Though the fleeing members were arrested, and the bill eventually passed, the “Rump Senate incident” established quorum-breaking as a minority party tactic that has persisted in Texas politics ever since.
After significant quorum breaks in 1979, 2003, and 2021, Texas House Democrats are once again employing this nuclear option, fleeing the state Sunday to block passage of a congressional redistricting map that would give Republicans five additional seats in the U.S. House. The attempt represents the latest chapter for the maneuver that political scientists say, barring exceptional endurance on the part of the democratic delegation, is likely to be symbolic rather than directly effective in preventing redistricting.
“It’s a messaging move,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. “It’s a last resort for Democrats who have run out of options legislatively and even legally.”
A Brief History of Texas Quorum Breaks
The “Killer Bees” quorum break of 1979 was the last such effort that achieved its immediate aims. Twelve Democratic state senators fled the Capitol for four days to block a measure that would have shifted the timing of the Texas presidential primary to benefit former Gov. John Connally’s candidacy. The senators held out in a garage apartment in Austin until Republican leadership agreed to withdraw the bill.
The 2003 quorum break over a mid-decade redistricting effort ended with Democrats returning one by one. House Democrats fled to Ardmore, Oklahoma and remained there until the regular session of the Legislature ended. However, former Gov. Rick Perry called a special session. Then, 11 Democratic senators left Texas for Albuquerque, New Mexico. They remained there for 46 days until then-Sen. John Whitmire D-Houston returned to Texas, allowing the chamber to reach a quorum and to pass the redistricting legislation.
The 2021 quorum break, called to block restrictive voting measures, collapsed after six weeks when internal divisions fractured Democratic unity. Though Democrats initially maintained solidarity during their stay in Washington, disagreements emerged during the second special session. The effort ended when three Houston Democrats returned, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, and providing quorum that allowed the controversial legislation to pass.
