1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

As a Texan I am deeply concerned by the decision to convene a special session beginning July 21—including an item to redraw Texas’s congressional map mid-decade. This session’s agenda was announced alongside urgent priorities like flood relief and emergency warning improvements, yet now carries the specter of partisan gerrymandering. Reports indicate this redistricting push is driven by former President Trump’s desire to net five additional Republican seats in the U.S. House—“purely about this election cycle and one person’s benefit,” not Texans’ needs. Mid-term elections traditionally favor the party out of power; this gambit risks turning Texas into a national playbook for ever-escalating map-drawing battles, rather than addressing our real challenges. The Justice Department’s July 7 letter singled out four “coalition districts” as supposedly unconstitutional racial gerrymanders—on paper an invitation to correct Voting Rights Act concerns—but in practice a pretext for packing and cracking voters along partisan lines. Coalition districts, by design, bring together minority communities to elect their preferred candidates. Using this as cover for broader map changes not only undermines the VRA but invites an avalanche of lawsuits that would tie up our Legislature—and burden taxpayers—with protracted litigation. History shows mid-cycle redraws rarely deliver stable gains and can backfire spectacularly. Experts warn a too-greedy map can become a “dummymander,” creating vulnerable seats for both parties and deepening public distrust in our elections. Texans deserve fair maps drawn after each decennial census, not political chess moves every few years. I urge you to remove redistricting from this special session’s agenda and rededicate your efforts to core responsibilities: delivering flood relief, improving public safety, lowering property taxes, and protecting consumer interests. Let the next congressional map await the 2030 census, when new lines can reflect genuine population shifts and uphold equal representation for all Texans. Our shared responsibility is to preserve the integrity of Texas elections. Please reject any attempt to skew representation for short-term partisan gain and instead stand for maps that respect every Texan’s vote. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.