The national redistricting saga for congressional seats, which is taking place at the federal level, is coming home to the county level.
Fort Bend County Republicans seek to do on a county level what President Donald Trump, via Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s congressional redistricting efforts, seeks to do on the national level. But during a recent Commissioners Court meeting, Fort Bend County Commissioner Dexter McCoy (Precinct 4) released legal findings that refute GOP claims that county maps are faulty and need redrawing.
Fort Bend County, which is known nationally as one of the most racially, ethnically and religiously diverse counties in the entire nation, might soon solidify white Republican “minority” rule. This would be done if efforts by Fort Bend Republicans to redraw the county’s current Commissioner Precinct maps were successful, increasing Republican electoral representation and decreasing Democrat-held seats.
Legal expert weighs in
McCoy recently released a legal opinion from Robert T. “Bob” Bass — one of Texas’ foremost experts in county redistricting law — affirming that Fort Bend County’s current 2021 Commissioner Precinct maps are in full compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act.
“This legal opinion confirms what we have been saying from the start: our current maps are lawful, fair, and fully compliant with the Voting Rights Act,” said McCoy. “The only thing driving this process is a blatant attempt to attack the voting rights of our community’s diverse voting base— not legal necessity and certainly not the best interests of Fort Bend County residents.”
At the center of this county redistricting saga is federally indicted County Judge KP George.
Immediately after George was arrested in April on two felony counts of money laundering tied to alleged wire fraud and tampering with a campaign finance report, he left the Democratic Party to join the GOP, a move that was lambasted by many GOP members. That is, until calls for redrawing the county Commissioner maps began to echo. George’s party switch gave Fort Bend County Republicans a 3-2 majority on Commissioners Court, the body that makes decisions about county maps.
All Commissioner Precinct-based seats will be affected by redrawn maps, including commissioner, constable and justice of the peace seats.
Since George’s move, the Commissioners Court’s new Republican majority has pushed for substantial redistricting changes.
Not surprisingly, George contends that redistricting immediately is a must despite Bass’s expert legal opinion and despite the fact that redistricting takes place after the U.S. Census, which takes place once a decade. The nation is five years away from the next U.S. Census, and thus five years away from the next redistricting sanctioned by the U.S. Constitution.
“In 2021, redistricting happened when I was on the other side,” said George. “There were certain things done that were not right. I didn’t know at the time, you cannot redistrict based on race. But nobody told me that is not the case.
“Because of that very reason, our map could be not legal. So, we are in the process of fixing that. The Republican majority is in the process of… we already initiated a proper redistricting, a legal redistricting.”
George says the GOP’s “properly redrawn” maps should be ready to present to the public by the end of next month.
GOP redistricting efforts unfounded
Whenever the GOP maps are presented, according to McCoy and Bass’s expert legal opinion, those maps are bordering on unlawful.
Bass had been hired by Fort Bend County for legal advice for every redistricting effort since 1990.
When asked in Commissioners Court on July 8, 2025, why Bass had not been retained for this effort County Commissioner Andy Myers (Precinct 3), considered the main architect behind Fort Bend County GOP redistricting efforts stated, “They [Attorney Bass and firm] no longer do that work, Bob Bass retired, and they’re kind of rebuilding that aspect of their practice.”
That statement turned out to be “non-factual.”
According to McCoy’s office, Bass cautioned against such [GOP redistricting] efforts, primarily because of the unavailability of official census data at the census block level, which is necessary to redistrict properly. Moreover, redistricting now, five years before the next U.S. Census, would be problematic legally because U.S. Census data is the only data that is given official recognition by the Courts.
In the Bass legal opinion presented by McCoy, Bass reiterated that the maps adopted in 2021 –maps he certified—remain legally sound and do not dilute the voting strength of any protected class.
McCoy said Bass’s legal opinion makes it clear that the court’s current boundaries meet all legal requirements.
“This legal opinion confirms what we have been saying from the start: our current maps are lawful, fair and fully compliant with the Voting Rights Act,” said McCoy. “The only thing driving this process is a blatant attempt to attack the voting rights of our community’s diverse voting base— not legal necessity and certainly not the best interests of Fort Bend County residents.”
Racial impact
In Fort Bend, as nationally, white people vote Republican in overwhelming numbers. The Republican Party holds a 15 percentage point advantage among white voters, meaning 56% of non-Hispanic white voters identify with or lean toward the Republican Party. In contrast, 41% align with the Democratic Party, according to an April 2024 Pew Research Center report.
This double-digit lead for the GOP among white voters has been consistent for over a decade, with the last near-even split between the two parties occurring in 2008.
Blacks, Latinos, Asians and other people of color, as a body, both nationally and in Fort Bend County, tend to vote for Democrats more often than not. Thus, the current redistricting efforts in Fort Bend County, spurred on by the Commissioners Court’s newfound 3-2 Republican majority, have direct racial implications regarding political representation.
