Texas lawmakers are preparing to redraw congressional district lines—not to ensure fair representation, but to rig the map for partisan gain. Once again, politicians are trying to choose their voters instead of letting voters choose their leaders.

This isn’t just redistricting. It’s theft.

“It’s the kind of election theft that you use when you realize that you can’t win playing with the hand that you’ve been dealt.”
– Rep. Al Green, Houston

Governor Greg Abbott has called a special legislative session under the pretense of addressing flood relief, but his real priority is redrawing congressional maps to create five new Republican seats in a state where they already hold 25 out of 38—despite winning just 58% of the statewide vote last year.

And the communities who will pay the price? Black, Latino, and other communities of color across Texas.

The proposed gerrymandering would:

• Target diverse, Democratic districts in Houston, Dallas, and the Rio Grande Valley.
• Dilute the voting power of Hispanic-majority districts represented by Rep. Vicente Gonzalez and Rep. Henry Cuellar.
• Split urban communities like Houston’s 9th, 18th, and 29th districts into narrow wedges attached to far-flung rural areas.
• Undermine the Voting Rights Act by weakening minority-majority districts — again.

“They are willing to enact, frankly, illegal, racially discriminatory maps… They know if they just cheat, they can break the law.”
– Sam Gostomski, Executive Director, Texas Democratic Party

This isn’t just a political maneuver. It’s a direct attack on voting rights and democracy in Texas.

We call on the Texas Legislature to:

• Reject any mid-decade redistricting that unfairly targets communities of color.
• Protect existing minority-majority districts and comply with the Voting Rights Act.
• Prioritize disaster relief and the urgent needs of flood survivors, not partisan gerrymandering.
• Respect the will of voters, not the demands of the president.

Texas already has an “F” rating for redistricting fairness. If this power grab succeeds, it will become one of the most egregiously unfair congressional maps in U.S. history.

Sign this petition to tell Texas lawmakers: We see what you're doing—and we won’t let you steal our democracy.

Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP