Texas is on the brink of redrawing congressional districts in a partisan bid to give Republicans five additional districts. The move is setting off a bipartisan war across the U.S.

The vote overcame weeks of protests from House Democrats who fled the state to stall a vote on the mid-cycle redistricting.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans on Wednesday took the first step toward approving new congressional maps that would give their party as many as five new seats in the House of Representatives, spurring what’s likely to be a national battle over redistricting.