As the entire nation watches Texas Republican efforts to redraw state voting maps in 2025 instead of after the next U.S. Census (2030) as is customary, those unhappy with the process are discussing strategies for fighting back.
And for good reason. At issue is the electoral voices of millions of Black and Hispanic Texans, mainly in Harris and Dallas counties.
Multiple national media outlets, including Politico, reported that President Donald Trump directed Texas lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional district map to give Republicans five more House seats.
Trump recently told reporters, “There could be some other states we’re going to get another three, or four or five in addition. Texas would be the biggest one. Just a simple redrawing, we pick up five seats.”
Four congressional districts in Trump’s crosshairs, and in that of the U.S. Department of Justice, are Texas Congressional District 9 (represented by U.S. Congressman Al Green, Houston), District 29 (U.S. Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, Houston) and District 33 (U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey, Fort Worth). Also targeted is the historic District 18, a seat that has remained vacant since the March 5 death of U.S. Congressman Sylvester Turner.
The Nov. 4 special election will determine who will represent District 18 moving forward. That election will not be impacted by current efforts to redraw the state’s Congressional districts.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott placed the issue of redrawing state voting districts on the 89th Legislature’s Special Session, which is currently in session.
For Green, the reason behind the call for Texas to engage in a “mid-cycle” redistricting effort is racism, pure and simple.
“And we have to fight and say that. And we have allies who are with us of all hues. They want to stand with us. But when you have four districts that are targeted, and all four of the representatives are persons of color, then you have to call it what it is. It’s racial discrimination.
No surrender
The Defender asked Green how he would provide leadership to Black and Hispanic constituents to cope with the decision if the state’s GOP redistricting plan passes. Green offered his take on a solution.
“Well, let’s not go there yet. Let’s stay with the notion that we’re still in the fight to stop it. I don’t think we should talk surrender right now,” said Green, whose Congressional district is one of the four targeted by Texas GOP efforts to redraw and potentially convert to a GOP-held district.
Quorum breaking, maps, statewide hearings
Earlier in the week, State Rep. Jolanda Jones called for a big turnout at the State Hearing on Redistricting held at the University of Houston Main Campus, Jones’ alma mater.
Appreciative of the turnout, Jones offered potential solutions for pushing back against GOP-driven redistricting.
“We’ve got to testify. We’ve got to keep the pressure on,” said Jones. “If we have to quorum break, then we need to do that. But we need to put off these maps, put off this process, because it’s a sham.
“They’re not [holding hearings] for meaningful input. There are no maps. We haven’t seen any maps. I hear we’re not going to see any maps until Wednesday [July 30]. Then, we’re going to have a hearing on Friday. My editorial comment is they’re going to shove it down our throats on Friday, because it’s got to be done by [Aug.] 7. That’s what I hear.”
Jones included quorum breaking, a strategy she said at a community meeting she hosted on July 22, that she opposed if funding to support quorum breakers wasn’t in place.
At that meeting, Jones explained that after Texas House Democrats broke quorum in 2021 in an attempt to stop the GOP redistricting maps, Texas Republicans instituted rules that made quorum-breaking prohibitive financially and otherwise.
Those penalties include a $500 daily fine, the threat of legal detention and the cost of paying all fees related to tracking down and returning individuals who broke quorum. Jones also mentioned that, though many people believe state representatives are well-paid, she said their salary is $600 per month, though they do also receive a per diem to pay for lodging and meals.
The $500 per day fine alone would devastate lawmakers who are not independently wealthy. And for lawmakers who are business owners, the decision to break quorum and incur the attached financial penalties doesn’t simply impact the lawmaker, but also their ability to pay their employees.
Still, the day before the State Hearing on Redistricting held in Houston, some Texas lawmakers traveled to California and Illinois to meet with Democratic governors who have criticized Republicans’ plans to redraw the Texas congressional map for overtly partisan political reasons.
One of the Texas lawmakers who met with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said she was open to the strategic move.
“I am more than willing to participate in a quorum break,” State Rep. Gina Hinojosa told ABC News.
Also making the trip was Texas State Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. Gervin-Hawkins did not state yea or nay on the idea of a quorum break. She did, however, tell ABC News she was hoping to receive guidance on how to navigate the redistricting situation, specifically from Newsom, who has frequently engaged in very public verbal battles with Trump and members of his administration.
Newsome has said that if Texas Republicans proceed with their redistricting efforts, he will instruct California lawmakers to follow the same process in their state to pick up more Democratic seats. Illinois and New Jersey have also raised the possibility of revisiting their maps if Texas moves forward. Maryland’s Gov. Wes Moore said he is weighing options on how his state will act if Texas and potentially other Republican-led states engage in mid-cycle redistricting to pick up additional seats in the U.S. House.
Jones also demanded statewide hearings rather than merely the three called by State Rep. Cody Thane Vasut, the chair of the House Hearings on Redistricting Committee.
Call your representatives
State Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons (District 146), who labeled the current GOP redistricting efforts as “cheating at the highest level,” believes Texas residents wield more power and influence than many realize. She calls on them to use that power.
“Talk to everybody you know about this process. Get as informed as possible,” said Simmons. “Call your State Representatives. Call your State Senators. Call your Congresspeople to let them know that you are vocally and visibly opposed to what’s happening right now.”
Simmons warned that “Democracy dies in the darkness,” alluding to engaging in redistricting during a special session.
“We should be focusing on disaster relief efforts and crafting policies that keep people alive… and Republicans are basically aiding and abetting a president who does not want to go out and get the support of voters; he wants to rig the system in his favor,” stated Simmons.
Simmons’ district has constituents who reside in U.S. Congressional District 9 (represented by Green) and District 18 (currently vacant).
Organize to maximize voting power
Dr. James Dixon, head of the NAACP Houston Branch, described the GOP redistricting efforts aimed at U.S. Congressional districts 9, 18, 29 and 33 as “racist” and the state “going backwards in history” to a time when state residents “knew clearly that people of color were unwanted, unappreciated and undesired.”
Dixon, who is also pastor of Community of Faith Church, suggested strategies to combat those efforts: “We’ve got to convince every Texan, every American, every Houstonian, every citizen of Harris County, listen, your children and your children’s children’s futures will not be what you hoped for if you sit down and don’t vote.”
Dixon added, “You must vote because SNAP is being cut, [and] Medicaid [and] Medicare. Your grandmother, your grandfather, your parents will suffer if you don’t stand up and vote. So, it’s about education, organization, coordination and then mobilization. We’ve got to make it a priority.”
Dixon said Houston’s NAACP is “in the thick” of efforts to collaborate with the local faith community and community-based organizations to ensure this current movement is multi-generational.
Take fight everywhere, including the courts
State Senator Molly Cook represents Senate District 15, which she describes as a minority opportunity district where “voices of Black and Brown Texans are powerful in elections.”
Cook asserts the order for Texas Republicans to engage in redistricting now came from Trump, as will the maps they will use.
“So, we have to fight this on every single level, whether that’s inside the Capitol, in the courtroom or at the ballot box,” said Cook, who urges Houston-area residents to get ready to “register your neighbors and get people out to vote for the next election.”
“I think people need to do a full blitz ‘every-single-where’ that they spend time in spaces. Because the reality is, yes, Republicans are drawing the maps,” added Cook.
