North Texans rally against redistricting at UT Arlington hearing amid controversy over maps, voting rights
North Texans turned out in large numbers to make their voices heard at a redistricting hearing at UT Arlington on Monday evening.
The effort to redraw the state's congressional map is one of the most controversial issues Gov. Greg Abbott has tasked state lawmakers with tackling this special session, which is currently underway in Austin.
It's been more than 20 years since the Texas legislature tried to redraw district lines this far removed from a census year in the middle of a decade.
Democrats objected then as they are now.
Ahead of Monday's hearings, a coalition of organizations held a rally on campus against what they're calling a "Trump power grab." Elected officials, community leaders, and other advocacy groups say they're worried Republicans will create unfair maps that dilute the voting power of minority communities.
Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat US House member from Houston, who believes she will see her congressional district redrawn to benefit Republicans, was the first to speak at the hours-long public hearing.
"We will never let a con man in New York tell us what to do," said Garcia.
Critics of the special session called by Abbott cheered each speaker who echoed their outrage over plans to come up with new district maps that they believe will isolate minority communities and leave them with Republican representation that doesn't support their needs.
"My constituents need a representative who will fight for affordable housing, public transportation and economic growth across diverse neighborhoods," said Democrat Rep. Julie Johnson.
At one point, the crowd turned on a speaker from the Frederick Douglass Republicans of Tarrant County who spoke in support of redistricting.
"I strongly support the Republican redistricting," said Rich Stoglin, with the Frederick Douglass Republicans of Tarrant County
DOJ says current congressional maps are illegal
When he called the special session, Abbott said the current congressional maps needed to be changed because of constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The DOJ sent a letter to the governor earlier this month, saying four of the state's Democratic-controlled districts, including District 33, which covers parents of Tarrant and Dallas counties and is currently represented by Marc Veasey, are illegal because of racial gerrymandering.
However, Democrats believe that's not the real reason for the unusual mid-decade redistricting effort.
Texas Republicans are facing pressure from President Donald Trump to help maintain the GOP's control of the U.S House. He has said he wants five more representatives from Texas ahead of next year's midterm elections.
No maps have been publicly released yet, but all the districts that border District 33 could be impacted by potential changes. So if this moves forward, it will likely impact the majority of North Texas voters.
Democrats consider boycott to block redistricting
State democratic leaders were asked during a news conference if they would consider boycotting the special session to prevent redistricting.
They said it's still a possibility, but not at the expense of slowing down other special session items that include Hill Country flooding relief and prevention. It could be difficult for Democrats to stop redistricting since Republicans control all branches of state government.
None of the state lawmakers attending the public hearing on the UT Arlington campus said they have seen any maps showing what the proposed new boundaries would look like. But it's believed the changes would make it extremely hard for incumbent Rep. Marc Veasey, whose district includes much of East Fort Worth and West Dallas, to be reelected.
"This district now faces the threat of being dismantled, not for fairness, not the compliance, but to serve the raw, hungry power of one man, Donald Trump," said Veasey.
While hundreds of people attended the rally and hearing who appear universally opposed to redistricting, state Republicans believe many more voters are sitting at home who support the idea.