Texas state Rep. Jessica Gonzáles, front left, is flanked by other Democratic lawmakers as she speaks at a press conference in May 2021 after Texas House Democrats staged a walkout to defeat a highly restrictive voting bill. (AP File Photo)

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer Taffet@DallasVoice.com

When Democrats broke quorum in 2003, they drove up I-35 to Ardmore. When they pulled into the Holiday Inn, they were greeted by a big sign that was planted next to the driveway that read, “Budweiser welcomes the Texas Legislature.”

The issue then, as now, that prompted the Dems to decamp was redistricting. Republicans wanted to create five new Republican seats. On one proposed map, Galveston would have been in the same district as Texarkana.

The quorum break lasted only five days and was done

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