得克萨斯州奥斯汀——随着得克萨斯州围绕新投票法的僵局持续下去，共和党人转向了一个激烈的选择来结束僵局:利用执法来寻找和找回50多名拒绝返回州议会大厦的民主党议员。
这是最后的手段，在德克萨斯州几乎没有现代先例，至少到目前为止，它还没有奏效。自7月份民主党人逃离该州前往华盛顿特区以来，共和党人周五再次被剥夺了连续第33天开展业务的法定人数。
以下是对抵制者以及执法部门的参与意味着什么的详细了解:
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谁在寻找民主党人?
众议院议长戴德·费伦的发言人恩里克·马尔克斯说，得克萨斯州公共安全部的成员和州众议院的武装军士都将前往持有民事逮捕令的缺席民主党人的家中。
这标志着自民主党抗议共和党以来，执法部门首次试图迫使民主党人返回国会大厦选举美国的比尔在5月份以深夜罢工开始。当时，共和党人没有试图挽回民主党人，因为这发生在通过该措施的最后期限前不到两个小时。
几周后，当民主党人出发前往华盛顿时，共和党人授权使用执法部门来寻找他们——但无法使用，因为州警在德克萨斯州以外没有管辖权。然而，现在几名民主党人已经承认他们回家了。但他们仍然远离国会大厦，以便继续拒绝共和党人获得通过立法所需的100名现任议员的工作法定人数。
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需要多少民主党人回来?
不多。一些民主党人不是抵制者的一部分，本周早些时候，96名代表出席了会议——使得共和党只有少数成员达不到法定人数。
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他们会被逮捕吗?
民主党拒绝露面是民事问题，而不是刑事问题，这意味着众议院议长签署的逮捕令不会将议员送进监狱。目标只是让他们回到国会大厦。
共和党人将民事搜查令比作追捕一名没有出庭的陪审员。众议院共和党党团主席、州众议员吉姆·墨菲说，他不希望民主党人被拘留。“我希望他们会自愿来，”他说。
但是还不清楚士兵们会花多长时间去寻找一个缺席的民主党人。民主党的发言人和费伦的办公室都没有立即回答是否会使用限制措施的问题。
刑事司法专家和治安官员将在民事案件中限制一个人描述为一种非典型事件，例如在遭遇过程中出现对官员或公共安全的威胁。
“这取决于警官，也取决于机构，”特拉维斯县治安官卡洛斯·洛佩兹(Carlos Lopez)说，他的办公室提供逮捕令，但不参与追踪议员。
拒绝返回国会大厦的州议员之一、民主党人维克基·古德温(Vikki Goodwin)说，一名邻居告诉她，执法人员在她不在家时出现在她家。她说，律师已经建议民主党人，如果他们在自己的房子里，他们根本不需要开门，如果有人在街上接近他们，他们可以声明他们不愿意和他们一起去，他们想联系他们的律师。
“我真的不想面对这种情况，”古德温说。“我只是保持低调。”
民主党州众议员西莉亚·伊斯雷尔(Celia Israel)回到得克萨斯州，仍然坚持己见，没有理会逮捕令的威胁。
“这是一堆马曲棍球，”她说。“这都是剧场。”
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如果民主党继续置身事外会发生什么?
最近一次特别会议——共和党人通过选举法案的第三次尝试——将持续到9月的第一周。在那之后，共和党州长格雷格·艾伯特将不得不召集另一次为期30天的会议，他承诺在立法到达他的办公桌前之前这样做。
EXPLAINER: Texas GOP enlists law enforcement to end standoff
AUSTIN, Texas -- As the standoff in Texas over new voting laws drags on, Republicans have turned to a drastic option to end the stalemate: using law enforcement to find and retrieve more than 50 Democratic legislators who refuse to return to the state Capitol.
It is a last-ditch recourse with little modern precedent in Texas, and so far at least, it has not worked. Republicans on Friday were again denied a legislative quorum to conduct business for a 33rd consecutive day since Democrats fled the state for Washington, D.C., in July.
Here is a closer look at the holdout and what the involvement of law enforcement means:
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WHO IS LOOKING FOR DEMOCRATS?
Both members of the Texas Department of Public Safety and sergeants-at-arms from the state House of Representatives are going to the homes of absent Democrats with civil arrest warrants, said Enrique Marquez, a spokesman for House Speaker Dade Phelan.
It marks the first time law enforcement has been involved in trying to compel Democrats back to the Capitol since their protest over a GOPelections bill started in May with a late-night walkout. At that time, Republicans made no attempt to retrieve Democrats since it happened less than two hours before a deadline to pass the measure.
Weeks later, when Democrats took off for Washington, Republicans authorized the option of using law enforcement to find them — but were not able to use it, since state troopers have no jurisdiction beyond Texas. Now, however, several Democrats have acknowledged they're back home. But they are still staying away from the Capitol in order to continue denying Republicans a working quorum of 100 present lawmakers needed to pass legislation.
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HOW MANY DEMOCRATS NEED TO RETURN?
Not many. Some Democrats are not part of the holdout, and earlier this week 96 representatives were on the floor — leaving the GOP just a few members shy of a quorum.
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CAN THEY BE ARRESTED?
Democrats' refusal to show up is a civil and not a criminal matter, meaning the warrants signed by the House speaker would not send lawmakers to jail. The goal is to only get them back to the Capitol.
Republicans have compared the civil warrants to going after a juror who didn't show up to court. State Rep. Jim Murphy, chairman of the House GOP Caucus, said he is not hoping that Democrats would be detained. “I'm hoping they'll come in on their own volition," he said.
But it is not clear what lengths troopers would go upon locating an absent Democrat. Neither a spokesperson for DPS or Phelan's office immediately responded to questions about whether restraints might be used.
Criminal justice experts and peace officers described restraining a person on a civil matter as an atypical occurrence, such as when a threat to the officer or public safety emerges during the encounter.
“It depends on the officer and depends on on the agency,” said Travis County Constable Carlos Lopez, whose office serves warrants but is not involved in tracking down the lawmakers.
Democrat Vikki Goodwin, one of the state legislators who is refusing to return to the Capitol, said a neighbor told her law enforcement showed up to her home when she was not there. She said attorneys have advised Democrats that if they're inside their house they simply don't have to answer their door, and if they're approached on the street, to state they're not willing to go with them and that they want to contact their attorney.
“I don’t really want to be confronted with that instance,” Goodwin said. “I’m just staying low.”
Democrat state Rep. Celia Israel, who is back in Texas and still holding out, brushed off the threat of the warrant.
“This is a bunch of horse hockey," she said. "This is all theater."
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WHAT HAPPENS IF DEMOCRATS KEEP STAYING AWAY?
The latest special session — Republicans' third try at passing the elections bill — runs through the first week of September. After that, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott would have to call another 30-day session, which he has promised to do until the legislation reaches his desk.
