Texas legislators have approved arrest warrants for Democratic legislators who fled the state in a bid to deny the legislature a quorum and thereby block a redistricting effort.

The vote was 85-6 and empowered the sergeant at arms to send for absent lawmakers "under warrant of arrest, if necessary." The move comes as part of a special redistricting session in which Republicans hope to present a new congressional map that will add a number of Republican-leaning districts ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Whether the sergeant at arms will successfully secure enough Democrats to reach a quorum and allow for the bill's passage remains to be seen.