After Democrats fled Texas in an attempt to delay the passage of a second bill in the House that also sought to change current voting laws, Texas senators approved a GOP-backed reform bill for voting Tuesday night.

According to Fox News, all 18 Senate Republicans voted in favor of the bill to ensure election integrity by a partisan 18-4 vote.

After four Senate Democrats joined Republicans to vote, the Senate was able reach a majority and pass the bill.

Eight Democratic senators were absent following their departure from California to join House Democrats and block the election reform legislation. They are expected to be joined by a ninth senator in Washington, D.C.

While in Washington, Texas Democrats pressed Congress to approve the For The People Act (and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act), two pieces of federal legislation Democrats believe will increase voting access.

“Rather than continuing to fruitlessly debate Republicans who refuse to legislate in good faith, Texas Senate Democrats decided to take matters into their own hands in order to secure the voting rights of Texans –  especially voters of colors, seniors and those with disabilities — and work with our partners at the federal level to pass voting rights legislation that would rein in discriminatory voter suppression laws and unfair redistricting practices,” the Democratic senators said in a joint statement to The Texas Tribune.

Democrats claim that the GOP-sponsored bills are attempts to make voting more difficult for minorities, and they continue to deny this. However, Texas Republicans said that the proposed measures would preserve the integrity of the state’s elections.

The Texas-Senate’s bill, Senate Bill 1, includes prohibiting drive-thru voting, mandating identification to vote by mail and the requirement of video surveillance.

The bill is currently in limbo until the state House has 100 members to approve the bill.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) threatened to arrest the lawmakers who fled the state in protest of the election bills and the state House on Tuesday voted 76-4 to apprehend the Democratic legislators.

The White House praised Texas Democrats’ efforts to flee the state.