Tarrant County commissioners are set to vote on a new political map Tuesday, after two months of debate over whether Republicans are trying to politically or racially gerrymander the county.
Each commissioner represents one geographic precinct, except for the county judge, who represents the entire county. The proposed maps would largely reshape the two Democratic precincts, Precincts 1 and 2, and make Precinct 2 more Republican, data shared by the county shows.
Democrats have accused Republicans of slicing voters of color out of Precinct 2 and packing them into Precinct 1, making it harder for Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons to win reelection next year. Republican commissioners deny race is a factor in redistricting, but they have confirmed they want a larger conservative majority.
"My entire goal, my entire purpose, my entire intention, is to allow Tarrant County to go from three Republicans, two Democrats on the commissioners court, to four Republicans, one Democrat,” Commissioner Matt Krause said at a public hearing in Hurst on May 21.
Republican county commissioners pushed ahead with the redistricting process with a 3-2 party-line vote in April, over the protests of their Democratic colleagues.
Tarrant County’s largest cities have come out in opposition to redistricting. Ten mayors, including Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, signed a letter asking commissioners to hold off on redistricting until the 2030 Census. The 2020 Census data the new maps use is outdated, and potential Voting Rights Act violations could result in expensive lawsuits, the letter warned.
Two mayors later asked for their names to be taken off that letter, according to Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare. O’Hare was the one who brought the redistricting item forward in April.
Four other mayors in northeastern Tarrant County, including Keller Mayor Armin Mizani and Southlake Mayor Shawn McCaskill, shared their own letter in support of redistricting.
“People and corporations move to Tarrant County because of communities like ours which offer low taxes, an advantageous business climate, safe neighborhoods, great schools, world class amenities, and the conservative ideals we hold dearly — helping keep Tarrant County the last remaining large conservative county in the State of Texas,” the letter reads.
Redistricting, which usually happens after the U.S. Census every 10 years, is the process of redrawing political precinct lines to make sure they’re balanced by population. Experts say both parties use it to their advantage. Democrats in Harris County and Dallas County have previously drawn commissioners court maps in their own favor.
Democratic U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey of Fort Worth said the maps violate the Voting Rights Act, which bans discrimination in mapmaking.
“You look precisely at this map, you will see that it was meant to dilute Black voting power and brown voting power in Tarrant County. Period. End of story,” he said at a press conference on May 27.
A conservative law firm called the Public Interest Legal Foundation was hired to lead the county’s redistricting process. They did not answer the public’s questions at any of the four hearings about redistricting.
Five proposed maps were discussed at those public hearings. On Friday, days before the vote, the county added two additional map proposals to the county redistricting website.
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
