North Texans rally against redistricting at UT Arlington hearing amid controversy over maps, voting rights
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.
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.
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.
The hearing at UT Arlington began at 5 p.m. to a full house. Speakers are limited to two minutes each, and the public testimony portion of the hearing will be capped at five hours.
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