Texas Republicans' effort to grow their majority by redrawing congressional maps could hinge on the support of Latino voters, some experts say.

A Texas House panel on Saturday advanced a draft congressional map aimed at adding five new Republican districts next year over protests from Democrats that the proposal would suppress the votes of people of color.

The bill is now headed to the Texas House for a vote on the floor. If passed, political analysts say the new map could create as many as five more Republican seats in Congress by shifting seats in major urban centers like Dallas, Austin and Houston. The first steps in that process could begin as early as the beginning of next week.