Texas just opened Pandora's box, and voters everywhere could pay the price
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What makes this instance particularly troubling is the brazen nature of the effort. Trump and Republican leaders in Texas have been blunt: This new map is designed purely for
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But this is not just a Texas problem. The consequences are already rippling outward: Lawmakers in New York and California are now considering redrawing their own maps in response — not to better serve communities but to counterbalance Texas's partisan moves.
This tit-for-tat escalation is exactly what our democratic system cannot afford.
Partisan gerrymandering has always been problematic, but Texas's mid-decade redistricting solely for political advantage is particularly corrosive to our democracy. Political leaders in Washington, D.C., have been gutting health care, tearing apart families with abusive deportation squads, and using federal power for revenge and personal gain. Rather than earning electoral victories by engaging with their constituents and championing policies that improve people's lives, they have chosen to simply redraw the district boundaries. As state Representative
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This power grab is particularly harmful in Texas, a state with a long history of racially discriminatory map drawing and other forms of voter suppression. In
Americans deserve better. We deserve fair maps designed to reflect communities, not to boost the political fortunes of the map drawers. And no matter which party is in power, partisan gerrymandering cannot come at the expense of voters of color and diluting their vote and voice. We the voters should choose our elected officials — not the other way around.
This moment demands national urgency. Mid-decade gerrymandering to avoid answering to voters is already dangerous. Now the governor and attorney general of Texas are
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Texas's actions set a dangerous precedent. If the nation's second largest state can conduct partisan redistricting mid-decade with impunity, other states will follow suit. We're witnessing a race to the bottom that erodes faith in democratic institutions, regardless of which party benefits.
We the people are supposed to command our own fate. That means our representatives are supposed to work for us. Texas must back away from mid-decade redistricting. And Congress must act to end partisan gerrymandering and protect the freedom to vote for all Americans, especially those most targeted by these power grabs.
Texas is showing us what happens when those in power use that power to entrench themselves instead of serving their constituents. If Texas gets away with this, this mid-decade power grab won't be an aberration — it will drag other states into the same game, and voters and our democracy will be the losers.
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