Governor vows to arrest Democrats who fled Texas to block voting restrictions

Lawmakers flew to Washington DC to deny legislature a quorum

Greg Abbott says he will call special sessions indefinitely

Texas's Republican governor, Greg Abbott, has vowed to arrest Democrat lawmakers who have fled the state in an attempt to stop an overhaul of election laws that they say damages the right to vote, especially for communities of color.

Private planes carrying more than 50 Democrats left Austin for Washington DC on Monday, skipping town just days before the Texas house of representatives was expected to give early approval to sweeping new voting restrictions in a special legislative session.