HOUSTON – Harris County is at the center of a heated debate over redistricting, as state lawmakers prepare for a special session beginning Monday with the issue on the agenda.
“We’re within a 10-year window—we shouldn’t be redistricting right now, so we don’t understand why this is happening,” said Steven Halveson, a precinct chair with Harris County Democrats.
The special session comes after Gov. Greg Abbott received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice questioning the legality of Texas’ congressional maps. According to Kyle Scott, vice chair of the Harris County Republican Party, the DOJ letter specifically mentioned four districts, three of which are in Harris County.
“This is nothing more than the governor responding to a letter from the Justice Department,” Scott said.
In response, Democrats held protests at five locations across Harris County on Saturday, voicing concerns about the potential impact of redrawing congressional boundaries.
“The people you see here today—the 30, 40 people—it’s great, it’s wonderful,” Halveson said at one of the demonstrations.
Halveson expressed concern that the proposed changes could affect U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia’s district.
“She is at risk of losing her role as our congressman representing us if they move the district lines to make it a +5, +10% district. That can harm us dramatically,” he said.
Republicans, however, point to recent history. Four years ago, Democrats led a redistricting effort at the county level, shifting the balance of power on the Harris County Commissioners Court from a 3-2 Democratic majority to 4-1.
“I would say it’s far more outrageous what happened at the county level because there were voters that were actually disenfranchised, who were not allowed to vote in an election to which they were regularly scheduled,” Scott said. “In this case, everybody is going to be able to vote on cycle as planned.”
