At parks, coffee shops, churches and government buildings around the country, hundreds of people are expected to gather today with a simple message: “Stop the Trump takeover.”

This week marks a flashpoint in an escalating and unprecedented fight over redistricting, with the country’s two most populous states taking center stage and control of the US House during the second half of President Donald Trump’s term potentially at stake.

CHICAGO — Texas House Democrats who left their state to prevent Republicans from passing redistricting maps will take part in nationwide “Fight the Trump takeover” protest on Saturday.

A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said their office is aiming to release possible redrawn maps on Friday.

If those conditions are met, the Texas House Democratic Caucus said Democratic lawmakers will return to the Texas House.

Many state delegations are already under single-party control. New maps could tighten the partisan grip while decreasing the importance of general elections.

New York Times columnist David Brooks compared Trump's Texas redistricting efforts to 'mustard gas' on democracy, criticizing both parties' gerrymandering tactics.

Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to deny a quorum are making their way back, each on their own timeline, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

In North Carolina, Republicans are a few votes shy of a supermajority in one chamber but still control the redistricting process because the state’s congressional maps are not subject to veto and therefore can be passed by a simple majority in the legislature.

“Our proposed map was created using traditional redistricting criteria, consistent with guidelines laid out by the California’s Citizen Redistricting Commission,” according to a cover letter from Julie Merz of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee included with the map.