A spirited and overflowing crowd packed the University of Texas at Arlington on Monday, July 28, to make their voices heard against proposed mid-decade redistricting efforts. During the final scheduled redistricting hearing, hundreds of North Texans filled the auditorium and spilled into the foyer, determined to oppose what many described as a blatant attempt to dilute their political power.
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, while no new maps have yet been formally introduced, the hearing offered an opportunity for public testimony, as Texas lawmakers consider adding congressional districts during a special session convened by Gov. Greg Abbott. The move follows President Donald Trump’s stated desire for Texas to deliver five new Republican districts.
The overwhelming sentiment from the audience and speakers was one of outrage and resistance. U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, whose district is among those flagged by the U.S. Department of Justice for racial gerrymandering, framed the effort as a modern assault on voting rights.
“Only now, the weapon is not a billy club or a literacy test, but a partisan pen,” he told the crowd. His comments echoed those of other Democratic leaders, including Sen. Royce West, Rep. Julie Johnson, and Tarrant County Commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles, Jr., who all expressed fears that new maps would undermine fair representation and entrench Republican power at the expense of communities of color.
“Don’t mistakenly call this a power grab… It is racism. It is diluting the voting strength of people that look like me and who are Hispanic, Asian, and other, so let’s organize. Let’s go over here and tell these people in this damn hearing what they need to hear,” Simmons stated.
Former State Rep. Lon Burnam criticized Republicans for “cheating” for decades, and Mendi Tackett of Tarrant County called the proposed redistricting a “racist power grab.” Before the hearing, redistricting opponents held a rally in the sweltering heat, waving signs that read “hands off our maps” and “fight the Trump takeover.”
As the hearing concluded after 11 p.m., with dozens still waiting to testify, the night left an undeniable impression: opposition to redistricting in North Texas is fierce, organized, and fueled by a deep sense of injustice. However, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton insists the maps are legal and not race-based, citing recent changes in the political landscape. But for many in Arlington that night, no justification could erase what they saw as a direct threat to democracy.