Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The Lone Star State
Texas is in the middle of a political firestorm, and it’s not just about which party gets to control the Lone Star State. It’s about whose voices count and whose get pushed to the edges.
At an August 14 briefing hosted by American Community Media (ACoM), a group of state lawmakers, civil rights lawyers, and advocates came together to speak out against what they’re calling a “redistricting war.”
The kerfuffle revolves around Republican-led efforts to redraw Texas’s electoral maps in ways that will give the party an advantage in the 2026 elections—at the expense of Black, Latino, and Asian voters.
Texas State Representative Gene Wu joined from Chicago, where he has been staying after leading a dramatic walkout on August 3. Along with dozens of Democratic colleagues, Wu left the state to block a quorum and stall the redistricting bill.
“This isn’t just politics—it’s cheating,” Wu said. “They’re trying to rewrite the rules mid-game because they know they’re losing.”
Cracking & Packing
Wu broke down the tactics being employed: “They’re cracking minority communities into pieces and attaching them to districts that don’t share their interests. Or they’re packing us into one district, so we can’t influence others. Either way, it’s about silencing us.”
He added, “If this goes through, your voice will carry less weight. If you’re Latino, your vote might count as one-third of a white vote. If you’re Black, maybe one-fifth. That’s not democracy.”
Wu also warned of a dangerous precedent: “If they get away with this, every state will start redrawing maps after every election they don’t like. That’s the end of our republic.”
Growing concern
Karla Maradiaga, a voting rights attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, shared her experience attending a redistricting hearing in Houston. Nearly 1,000 people signed up to speak, but the maps hadn’t even been released.
“People showed up anyway,” she said. “That tells you how concerned they are.”
Maradiaga underscored the lack of transparency: “This process should be open and fair. Instead, it’s being driven by a letter from the DOJ under Trump and political pressure, not by census data or by the needs of the community.”
She also addressed another issue: “Republicans keep saying partisan gerrymandering is legal. But the Supreme Court didn’t say it’s OK. It said it’s not their job to fix it. That’s a big difference.”
She is filing throwing up a legal challenge, including one in Tarrant County where a mostly-minority district was dismantled, removing a Black woman commissioner from office. “We’re fighting back,” she said. “Because this is about protecting the right to vote.”
New maps; broken communities
Melissa Ayala, a longtime activist and resident of Congressional District 29, gave a heartfelt account of how the new maps are breaking up her community.
“We’re a working-class, mostly Latino district,” she said. “Now they’ve redrawn it into a weird box that favors Republicans. It’s clear parts we were left out on purpose.”
Ayala, a former census worker, knows how important accurate representation is. “I learned about redistricting through the census. But now, even older folks are just learning how it works—and how it affects them.”
She also talked about how economic pressures make it hard for families to stay politically engaged. “Groceries are up. Cars are expensive. People are just trying to survive. But we still need to vote. We still need to organize.”
Her message was clear: “We’re not just voters—we’re also on the menu. If we don’t fight back, we’ll be served up.”
Losing your voice
Carmela Walker, Program Manager at the Houston Area Urban League, said the stakes are particularly high for Black communities.
“This isn’t just about race—it’s about humanity,” Walker said. “When you lose your voice, you lose your ability to fight for schools, healthcare, safety—everything.”
She shared disturbing accounts of families being mistreated in schools and communities, with no one to advocate for them. “We got a call about a mom who was arrested just for sitting with her child in the cafeteria. That’s what happens when you don’t have representation.”
Walker called for unity and civic education: “Fairness is a civic value. It’s not partisan. It’s not racial. It’s about protecting our communities.”
Her message was powerful: “No one’s coming to save us. We have to save ourselves.”
Despite the grim outlook, the speakers were united in their message: stay engaged, stay vocal and keep voting.
In closing remarks, Wu called for “trigger laws” in blue states like California to push back against Texas’s moves; Maradiaga reiterated the importance of litigation; Ayala urged more town halls and grassroots organizing, and Walker reminded everyone that “we’re stronger together.”
This article was written with support from the American Community Media Fellowship Program.
