Texas Playing Map Games

Every 10 years, states redraw the lines for voting districts based on new Census numbers—a process called redistricting. Normally, this happens once a decade to reflect how the population has changed. But Texas Republicans are pushing to redraw the map mid-decade, ahead of the 2026 midterms—and it’s sparked a political standoff with major national implications.

Here’s the issue: The new plan would likely give Republicans five more congressional seats, strengthening their power in Washington. Democrats say it’s not just about lines on a map—it’s about silencing certain voters and making it harder for the other side to ever win back control.

So, to stop the vote, Texas House Democrats left the state. By heading to Illinois, they broke what’s called a quorum, which is the minimum number of lawmakers required to conduct business. Without that quorum, the redistricting vote can’t happen. It’s not the first time this move has happened either—back in 2003, Texas Democrats fled to Oklahoma for the same reason. History repeating itself, Texas-style.

Republicans argue the law doesn’t say they can’t redraw districts more than once a decade. Technically, they’re right. There’s no national rule against midcycle redistricting. But critics say it opens the door to political power grabs and shady gerrymandering—the practice of manipulating district lines to favor one party over another.

Here in North Texas, Republicans have been real strategic. The new map avoids making any Republican-held districts more competitive. Instead, it shifts more Republican voters into nearby Democratic districts—especially around Dallas and Houston—without threatening GOP strongholds like Rep. Beth Van Duyne’s seat in Irving or Troy Nehls’ in Fort Bend. Both faced tough races in 2020, but in 2021, their districts were redrawn to be safely Republican—and those boundaries stay untouched.

In Dallas, Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s seat would shift to become majority-Black, and in Houston, the 18th District—long represented by legendary Black leaders like Barbara Jordan, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Sylvester Turner—is being redrawn to pack in even more Democratic voters. That’s raised concerns of racial gerrymandering. The U.S. Department of Justice has already flagged this and other majority-minority districts as potentially unconstitutional.

This fight isn’t just about Texas. Other states are watching closely. If this strategy works, we might see a wave of mid-decade redistricting battles across the country. Some Republican lawmakers in places like Georgia, Florida, and Ohio are floating the idea of doing their own mid-decade redraws if Texas pulls it off. If this becomes the new playbook, redistricting could turn into a power grab free-for-all—not just every 10 years, but whenever the ruling party feels like it.

Now, this battle could end up in court. The U.S. Supreme Court won’t get involved over partisan gerrymandering, but if these new maps are found to dilute the power of minority voters, it could violate the Voting Rights Act. So what looks like a local issue? It’s actually national. And it’s got the power to shift elections, policy, and representation for years to come.