It’s regular practice in the United States to redraw the maps that determine who votes in what elections. Whichever party is in power inevitably does so in a way that benefits itself.
For the most part, it’s legal and it happens on both sides of the aisle. But it can easily go too far, and when it does, it undermines fair representation, selectively diminishing some voices to boost others.
That’s exactly what Republican leaders in Tarrant County are trying to do now. The county is considering new legislative boundaries that would give the GOP a supermajority on the Commissioners Court, our colleague Gromer Jeffers Jr. reported.
Democratic Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons would see her district’s borders change massively, shifting its population from 60% minority to 45% in the scenario most Republicans favor. Meanwhile, Democratic Precinct 1 Commissioner Roderick Miles Jr.’s district would shift from 66% to 78%, Jeffers reported. That would diminish minority voices and likely make it impossible for Simmons to win reelection.
Proponents have denied that there’s a racial motivation behind this redistricting plan.
Republican Precinct 3 Commissioner Matt Krause said his goal is to increase GOP strength in the county. And Republican Commissioner Manny Ramirez wrote in an op-ed for the Fort Worth Star Telegram that this has nothing to do with race or “denying anyone representation.”
Since minority voters have historically tended to favor the Democratic Party, it’s possible that Republicans were only trying to weaken their opponents’ political strength rather than actively discriminate. As long as race and politics are bound up together, our society can’t escape this difficult problem. Still, whether by coincidence or not, the proposed maps unnecessarily reinforce racial divides, and that isn’t acceptable.
Here’s a question: If the Republican Party’s policies deserve to win, why not persuade voters to choose them based on the merits? Simmons won her 2022 reelection bid by just three percentage points. Overcoming that tiny margin shouldn’t be so hard with the right candidate and the right message. Of course, that candidate would likely have to be the sort of moderate who can win crossover voters. And that’s all but forbidden in today’s politics.
In fairness, the Democrats have scarcely been any better here in Dallas County. In 2021, the lines were redrawn to dilute GOP voting power. Today, the Dallas County Commissioners Court is dominated by Democrats, five to zero.
In Tarrant County, many local leaders oppose the redistricting plan. Mayors from 10 Tarrant cities including Fort Worth, Arlington and Mansfield signed a letter urging the county to delay voting on the redistricting.
The letter notes that some of the options commissioners are considering for a new map could diminish minority voting power, potentially violating the nondiscrimination provision of the Voting Rights Act. It also notes that the redistricting relies on outdated census data from 2020 and mentions other issues.
Regardless of whether it’s coming from the left or the right, hyperpartisan gerrymandering weakens the diversity of viewpoints among our elected leaders, eroding the resilience of our democracy.