Democrats are crying foul over a move which could keep the House of Representatives in Republican hands even as voters swing heavily in the other direction.

Republican legislators in Texas have released a plan to redraw the boundaries of congressional districts in their state to cost Democrats as many as five seats.

The move, made at Donald Trump’s behest, would widen the Republicans’ narrow margin in Congress.

Unlike in Australia, most US states allow state legislators to draw congressional districts, as well as their own state-level districts.

The party in power in that state then has the power to draw districts in a way that favours them.

Usually this is only done every ten years after the release of the census, but there is no law forbidding changes more often in Texas.

Under the proposed map, Texas Democrats would almost certainly lose five of their 15 seats in next year’s midterm elections.

The redrawing of the map splits Democratic bastions in Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Dallas so they share vast swaths of Republican-heavy territory elsewhere.

The new map would come at the expense of representatives such as long-time Austin politician Lloyd Doggett.

“My sole focus is on defeating this Trump-imposed gerrymandering, which relies on crooked lines instead of honest votes,” Doggett said.

Representative Vicente Gonzalez has had his district on the Mexico border redrawn in a way that will likely cost him re-election.

“When they know they can’t win, they cheat,” he said.

Democratic legislators are now planning to flee the state in a desperate effort to stop the change. The move would deny a quorum in the legislature.

They have also decried that the redistricting took priority over providing funding and support to regions of Texas devastated by flooding in recent weeks.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has floated changing the state’s constitution to counter the Texas map.

“This moment requires us to be prepared to fight fire with fire — and we won’t hesitate to act if Texas Republicans move ahead with this ridiculous power grab,” he said.

California currently has 43 Democrats and nine Republicans in a map drawn by an independent commission. 

An aggressive partisan redraw in California could cost Republicans all nine seats.

Republicans in Congress currently hold 219 seats, only one more than a majority.

Democrats are currently ahead in polling ahead of the midterm elections next November. They would only need a handful of seats to reclaim the majority.