Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons rallied with North Texans at the University of Texas at Arlington against redistricting on July 28. (Photo by Katie Serrano)
North Texans voiced their concerns over the controversial redistricting efforts Gov. Greg Abbott added to his special legislative session agenda to give Republicans a stronger footing in the 2026 midterm election.
Hundreds of people testified against the redrawing of congressional maps during a hearing at the University of Texas at Arlington on Monday.
The effort is just one of 18 issues that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott added to his special session agenda after pressure from President Donald Trump.
“We had asked as a House Democratic Caucus that the floods be our priority this session,” said Rep. Terry Meza (D-Irving) during a press conference before the hearing. “But evidently, the only flood waters they’re concerned about is the blue wave in 2026.”
Lawmakers redistrict after the US census every 10 years, and Republicans already control 25 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats. But Trump told reporters that he wants the maps redrawn mid-decade to favor Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, aiming to pick up five new seats.
The move has faced extreme backlash from Democrats and Texas residents.
Monday night’s hearing lasted five hours, with an overwhelming majority of registered speakers testifying against the redistricting, including Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons of Precinct 2.
Hundreds of Texans signed up to testify during the five hour hearing. (Photo by Katie Serrano)
“ I am here to urge the members of the Texas legislature to say no to racism and the racially discriminatory redrawing of congressional maps,” Simmons said during her testimony. “What you’ve done is planned and calculated a racist attack.”
The redrawn maps have yet to be shared with lawmakers or the public, but four congressional districts represented by Democrats—three are represented by people of color and all four have a majority nonwhite voting populations—are on the chopping block, according to a US Department of Justice letter sent to Texas officials on July 7.
The letter claimed that the four districts are “racially gerrymandered.” But when the maps were originally drawn in 2021, Republicans vowed under oath that the maps were “race blind.”
“ We’re a week into the special session, and no maps or other data have been shared with the public for meaningful consideration, review, and debate,” said Elsie Cooke-Holmes during her testimony. “Yet you’re asking us, your constituents, to engage in a rushed, non-transparent process that could further minimize the power of Black and brown Texan voters. That’s not democracy, that’s disenfranchisement.”
“Texans deserve a congressional map that allows them the opportunity to choose their leaders, they do not deserve a map crafted behind closed doors where officials choose their constituents,” she added.
The redistricting process typically takes several months, but two legislative committees are working on an accelerated timeline as part of the special legislative session, which is slated to end Aug. 19.
Rep. Cody Vasut (R-Angleton), who chairs the Texas House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting, said that once redrawn maps are available, more public hearings will be held.
But Democrats, including Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas), have questioned whether the committee will have time to hold more hearings due to the brief special session.
“The reality is that I’ve been reassured that there’ll be hearings once the maps come out,” West said during his testimony. “But check this out: Will there be regional meetings like this?”
US Rep. Marc Veasey, US Rep. Julie Johnson, and US Rep. Sylvia Garcia spoke at a press conference before the hearing. (Photo by Katie Serrano)
North Texas districts at risk
US Rep. Marc Veasey’s (D-Fort Worth) seat is one of the districts being targeted by Republicans. His District 33 includes portions of Fort Worth, Irving, and Dallas.
“ This is more than just a Republican power grab,” Veasey said during a press conference before the hearing. “This is about discrimination. This is about eroding the voting rights of Black, of Latino, of Asian voters here in North Texas and around the state.”
“ What Greg Abbott is doing is not real leadership, it’s not what the state of Texas needs right now,” he added. “We need to be focused on the flood, we don’t need to be focused on the most divisive thing that you can do, especially when there was no court order calling us to do it and when the founders of our constitution say that we only need to do this once every 10 years.”
Tarrant County, a portion of which is in Veasy’s district, has already faced racially charged redistricting this year.
In June, Republicans on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court approved new precinct boundaries that will make it easier for Republicans to be elected in certain areas.
In response, Veasy introduced a bill that would limit congressional redistricting in all states to once a decade, unless a court finds a map to be illegal or unconstitutional.
“The one thing that keeps Trump up at night is losing the majority in the US House of Representatives,” Veasey said during the rally. “He has made this his priority, and it starts in Texas.”
