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The Governor called a Special Session which started July 21st. Among the 18 items the Governor called legislators back to consider are three that the League is following: redistricting, the power of the attorney general over election crimes, and the actions covered by SB 2880 in the regular session, addressing providing women seeking legal abortions information or resources about obtaining an abortion.
The first week of the session was focused on redistricting.
Background
Like every state in the union, Texas drew new Congressional district maps after the 2020 census. Those maps were adopted and signed into law by the Governor in 2021. The maps included several minority-majority districts who tend to elect democrats to Congress. Litigation challenging these maps is currently ongoing. The challengers, which included the United States Department of Justice, assert that the maps did not go far enough in ensuring that minority populations are able to elect representatives of their choice. Throughout this litigation, the State of Texas has taken the position that the maps were drawn "race-blind," that is, without considering race.
On March 25th, 2025, the DOJ withdrew its complaint in the litigation. On July 7th, the DOJ sent a letter to Governor Abbott demanding that four minority-majority districts be dismantled because they are unconstitutional racial gerrymanders. The basis for this claim is a decision of the Fifty Circuit Court of Appeals that the Voting Rights Act did not require coalition districts (districts with a majority of various, not a single, minority group). This letter prompted the Governor to add redistricting to the call for this Special Session. The goal of this very rare mid-decade redistricting is to create five more Republican leaning districts before the 2026 midterms.
What is Happening Now
At this time, there is no legislation creating new maps. Nevertheless, the House and Senate have formed special redistricting committees which held community hearings between July 24th and July 28th. The House hearings were in person and virtual. The first was in Austin, the second in Houston, and the third in Arlington. Click here to view the testimony given by LWV Texas at the hearing in Austin. The Senate held virtual hearings over the weekend. The League and its partners encouraged members to attend rallies preceding the House hearings and to attend the hearings and submit testimony, in their individual capacity about how this mid-term redistricting will impact their communities.
Our members and supporters received an email last week with dates, times, and places for the community hearings. We are encouraging recipients to contact their senators and representatives objecting to redistricting at all. There is no legal reason for re-drawing these maps, and there is no new data being considered, other than the 2020 Census.
The League has signed on to a letter to the Governor prepared by Fair Maps Texas stating our concerns. Additionally, we signed on to a letter to the House and Senate Redistricting Committees expressing our dismay about the inadequate redistricting process that the House and Senate Special Committees are currently conducting. We will be issuing further alerts as this proceeds through the legislature.
Taking Action
Special Sessions are limited by law to 30 days. There is not much time. To take action, you can find talking points here. The law in this area, while not complicated, is technical. It is best to focus on the big picture rather than get into the weeds of how the DOJ is framing their request. There is no need to redistrict mid-decade; there are more important things to focus on (such as the tragedy in the Hill Country); there is no need to rush this process and deprive the public of the opportunity for input; Texans deserve fair representation through a transparent process that produces maps that comply with the law and protect minority voting rights.
In League,
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