Texas Democrats plan to flee their state on private jets Monday in order to prevent a series of new, restrictive voting laws from making their way through the state legislature.
At least 58 Democratic members of the state House of Representatives are expected to leave Austin to fly to Washington D.C. on two private jets chartered for the occasion and use the time in the nation's Capitol to rally support for federal voting legislation, NBC News reported.
The departure would paralyze the Texas state house as the legislature requires a quorum of two-thirds of lawmakers be present to conduct business. It's also akin to a move Democrats used in 2003 when they fled to neighboring Oklahoma to block Republicans' plan to redraw the state's congressional districts.
The Democrats risk arrest and expect state Republicans to send law enforcement officials, possibly including the Texas rangers, after them.
To permanently block the measures, the Democrats would have to stay away through the end of the special legislative session, which can last as many as 30 days.
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