AUSTIN, Texas — While Texas House Democrats remain in Washington, breaking quorum in order to prevent sweeping GOP-backed election legislation from passing, little can get done in the Texas Legislature.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to call special session after special session until a voting bill is passed, potentially right up until the end of his term in office.

Quorum simply indicates the minimum number of members of a governing body that must be present in order for business to proceed. In the Texas Legislature, two-thirds of elected members must be present in order to constitute a quorum in each chamber.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick would like Abbott to change that via a constitutional amendment.

In a letter Patrick sent to Abbott and subsequently shared on social media, he urges the governor to change the quorum requirement to a simple majority plus one.

“Texans expect their legislature to work and not be held hostage by a few legislators who are exploiting the quorum requirement,” Patrick wrote. “The majority of other state legislators require a simple majority plus one. For that reason, I am respectfully requesting that you add to the call a change the quorum requirement to a majority through a constitutional amendment. The Texas Legislature should be able to move forward and serve the people of Texas when a majority of its members are present.”

There was no immediate response to the request from Gov. Abbott.