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yesterday

Tarrant County to Vote on Contested Commission Map Options June 3

Critics warn the GOP-drafted maps, including a newly introduced option, could violate the Voting Rights Act by fracturing minority communities.

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The current Tarrant County commissioners map, showing a Fort Worth precinct in red and an Arlington precinct in yellow, would be redrawn under a proposal to elect a Republican commissioner in Arlington.
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Overview

  • The Commissioners Court has received a sixth map from the Public Interest Legal Foundation ahead of the June 3 vote, expanding the options drawn by National Republican Redistricting Trust consultant Adam Kincaid.
  • Republican commissioners Manny Ramirez and Matt Krause have stated their aim is to secure an additional GOP seat on the court through politically motivated boundary adjustments.
  • An SMU mathematics professor’s analysis identifies potential “packing and cracking” tactics that could concentrate nonwhite voters into a single district and diminish their overall voting power.
  • Mayors from ten Tarrant County cities have signed a joint letter condemning the proposals as racial gerrymandering and arguing that the 2020 census data no longer reflects current population shifts.
  • County Judge Tim O’Hare’s mid-decade redraw, supported by national figures such as Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, marks a rare intervention in precinct boundaries and has drawn intense legal and public scrutiny.