Redistricting battle: Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons unveils proposed maps for consideration
Rewritten Article:
Controversy brews in Tarrant County, Texas, as Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons accuses Republicans of attempting to rig the 2026 election by manipulating the political map. The allegation comes after Republicans on the Commissioners Court initiated an extraordinary mid-decade redistricting process last month, drawing fierce opposition from Democrats.
The agenda for the upcoming Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting lists a briefing about redistricting by the conservative Public Interest Legal Foundation, hinting at the redrawing of district boundaries. This mid-decade redistricting isn't without precedent, often triggered by shifts in population demographics, legal disputes, or political strategizing. In this context, the chosen legal firm most likely evaluates the precincts and population distributions, potentially leading to revised maps affecting political representation.
The proposed maps, shared by Simmons, would significantly reshape her Precinct 2 and Precinct 1, represented by fellow Democrat Roderick Miles Jr. A key point of contention is that the new maps could dilute the voting power of Precinct 2, primarily voters of color, as claimed by Simmons.
Currently, each commissioner's precinct is primarily confined to a corner of square-shaped Tarrant County. Simmons' proposed maps, however, would swap the positions of Precincts 1 and 2, with Precinct 1 encompassing parts of south Fort Worth, reaching north through neighborhoods like the Historic Southside, then east along I-30 ending in Arlington. Simultaneously, Precinct 2 would cede some of Arlington, stretching west through Fort Worth's southern suburbs, like Crowley and part of Burleson, with potential additions of Benbrook or White Settlement.
Simmons and Miles, who represent majority-minority precincts, assert that the new maps are intentionally designed to disenfranchise the voters of Precinct 2. "I will not sit idly by while my colleagues manipulate this process to rig the 2026 election," she stated in her press release. "The people of Precinct 2 deserve the right to choose their commissioner – not have that choice taken from them through racial gerrymandering. I stand with my community, and I will fight this tooth and nail."
Republican County Judge Tim O'Hare, who represents the entire county, and County Commissioner Manny Ramirez, who oversees Precinct 4 in northwest Tarrant County, have defended the redistricting efforts. Ramirez argues that redistricting is necessary due to the imbalance in population among precincts. However, according to Bob Heath, the attorney who led Tarrant County's last redistricting process, the precincts were balanced after the 2020 Census.
Redistricting usually takes place at the beginning of each decade, following the Census. In 2021, the Commissioners Court chose not to redraw the map at all, with the overall deviation from the ideal precinct size at less than 2%. The overall deviation limit is set at 10%, Heath reported. The extent to which the proposed maps would alter the overall population deviation between precincts remains unclear.
The complex political landscape of Tarrant County's mid-decade redistricting may stir up old rivalries and spark new legal challenges, as suggested by Fort Worth Magazine.
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- The controversy in Tarrant County's political landscape involves Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons accusing Republicans of attempting to manipulate the 2026 election through mid-decade redistricting.
- The proposed redistricting maps could significantly reshape Precinct 2, represented by Simmons, potentially limiting the voting power of the district's predominantly voter of color population.
- Commissioners Simmons and Roderick Miles Jr., who represent majority-minority precincts, allege that the new maps are intentionally designed to disenfranchise the voters of Precinct 2.
- Republican County Judge Tim O'Hare and County Commissioner Manny Ramirez, who represent the entire county and Precinct 4 respectively, have defended the redistricting efforts, citing an imbalance in population among precincts.
- The upcoming Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting agenda includes a briefing about redistricting by the conservative Public Interest Legal Foundation, indicating a potential redrawing of district boundaries, prompting policy-and-legislation, general news, and community discussions.
