It’s an old trick: If you can’t win a vote, make sure it doesn’t happen.

That’s what Texas Democrats had in mind when they fled Austin on Sunday. If they’re elsewhere, their state’s Legislature won’t have enough members present to vote on a measure they revile: a new gerrymandered congressional map that would probably flip five blue districts to red. Those extra seats would give the G.O.P. a much more comfortable majority in Washington — and answer a fervent demand from President Trump.

So Democrats high-tailed it out of town. Some went to Chicago or Boston. Others to Albany, N.Y. They are giving press conferences to vent their outrage. Now, what started as a redistricting clash has turned into a nationwide game of hide-and-seek. Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, says he’ll oust Democratic lawmakers who don’t return for the vote.

Our reporters have been on the ground in Texas, Illinois and New York. Today, we’ll explain the situation.

The Texas plan

What does the state’s redistricting proposal look like? J. David Goodman, who reported from Austin, explains.

Republican lawmakers here hope to pick up five more seats in the U.S. House. (They currently hold 25 of the state’s 38 congressional seats.) So they want to either dramatically reshape, or completely relocate, five districts now held by Democrats. Three are in urban areas — in Houston and Dallas, and around Austin and San Antonio. The other two are along the Mexican border, where the majority Hispanic population has trended Republican in recent elections.

The map could also force veteran Democratic legislators to fight primary campaigns against young and promising members of the party. The new Austin seat, for instance, might pit Lloyd Doggett, a veteran congressman, against a rising progressive. Al Green, a vocal Trump opponent, has been drawn into a vacant district around Houston where several young candidates are already running.