{"id":200013,"date":"2025-09-04T16:47:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T16:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/200013\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T16:47:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T16:47:11","slug":"rep-jones-condemns-texas-redistricting-as-power-grab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/200013\/","title":{"rendered":"Rep. Jones Condemns Texas Redistricting as Power Grab"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\tOverview:<\/p>\n

The Tarrant County Commissioners Court in Texas has voted to eliminate more than 100 Election Day polling locations and slash early voting sites, which critics say is a direct attack on Black, Latino, and college-age voters. This move, enabled by a new Texas law that lowered the minimum required polling locations, is part of a broader battle over redistricting, according to Rep. Venton Jones. The new maps, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, are “the most racially gerrymandered since the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” and will disproportionately affect minority neighborhoods and campuses.<\/p>\n

A Shrinking Map for Voters<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted 3\u20132 on August 19<\/a> to eliminate more than 100 Election Day polling locations and slash early voting sites, critics called it a direct attack on Black, Latino, and college-age voters. The move, enabled by a new Texas law that lowered the minimum required polling locations from 347 to just 212, immediately set off alarms in Fort Worth and beyond.<\/p>\n

Tarrant County Judge Tim O\u2019Hare, who led the charge, brushed off concerns, claiming the cuts were about \u201cefficiency\u201d and going so far as to say, \u201cI would venture to guess 99% of the public cannot name a single thing on the 2025 ballot.\u201d<\/p>\n

His record, however, shows a pattern: earlier this year, O\u2019Hare also cut funding for free bus rides to polling places for low-income residents.<\/p>\n

The timing is hard to ignore. Just days earlier, former President Donald Trump vowed to end the use of mail-in ballots altogether,<\/a> inserting himself once again into Texas\u2019 political machinery. Now, with new congressional maps designed to add five Republican seats, the voting landscape in North Texas looks dramatically different.<\/p>\n

Rep. Venton Jones: \u201cA Power Grab on the Backs of Black and Brown Texans\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

At Dallas Weekly\u2019s On the Rocks Political Pour-overs conversation with Representative Venton Jones (D, 100, Dallas) and Kat Vargas of Howdy Politics, the Dallas Democrat did not mince words. He tied the cuts in Tarrant County directly to the broader battle over redistricting:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis redistricting pipe is so much bigger than the state of Texas. This is literally a power grab, one that is being done on the backs of Black and Brown congressional representation, but also in an attempt to possibly steal the midterm elections,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Tarrant County\u2019s decision to eliminate polling locations and slash early voting sites raises concerns over voter suppression and minority voter influence. Credit: Dallas Weekly via Instagram Credit: Dallas Weekly<\/p>\n

According to Jones, the new maps\u2014signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott last week\u2014are \u201cthe most racially gerrymandered since the Voting Rights Act of 1965.\u201d While Republicans point to so-called \u201cLatino majority\u201d districts, Jones argues the math doesn\u2019t hold: those districts were padded with noncitizens who cannot vote, rendering the \u201cmajority\u201d label meaningless.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will actually take three Latino voters to equal the voting power of one white voter. It will take five Black voters to equal the voting power of one white voter,\u201d Jones explained. \u201cThis is really against the Voting Rights Act, which says it is one vote for one person.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Tarrant County as a Case Study<\/strong><\/p>\n

The redistricting fight may seem abstract until viewed through Tarrant County\u2019s recent decision. In one stroke, more than a hundred polling places disappeared, disproportionately affecting minority neighborhoods and campuses.<\/p>\n

Jones warned that the representation of people of color in Tarrant County has already been \u201ccracked up\u201d and dispersed into surrounding districts. \u201cYou\u2019re going to have these heavily minority areas now represented by leadership or congressional representation that does not match with how people voted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That dilution is not limited to Fort Worth. Houston and Dallas have seen similar maneuvers. Rep. Jasmine Crockett\u2019s District 30, historically a Black stronghold in South Dallas, has been redrawn to shift economic assets like Love Field elsewhere, while absorbing parts of East Arlington. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A redrawn District 30 would no longer include Love field, cutting crucial constituents represented by for Rep. Crockett. Source: The Texas Tribune. <\/p>\n

The result: a map that strengthens Republican prospects at the cost of minority voter influence.<\/p>\n

National Pressure, Local Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jones emphasized that these changes are not simply about local politics\u2014they are part of a coordinated national strategy. Trump, who has openly advocated for suppressing mail-in ballots and influenced Texas\u2019 redistricting process, is reshaping state lines with federal ambitions in mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I hope we learned in two terms under Trump is that it all can get into the Twilight Zone,\u201d Jones remarked, pointing to the risk of a coalition in Washington that could refuse to certify democratically won elections.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, community advocates in Tarrant County continue to push back. At the August 19 commissioners\u2019 meeting, more than three dozen residents spoke against the cuts, calling them blatant voter suppression. Lawsuits have already been filed within hours of the redistricting maps passing, setting the stage for lengthy legal battles.<\/p>\n

The Stakes Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Jones, the issue is not about partisanship but about fair representation. \u201cIs that to say Republicans cannot represent people of color? Absolutely not. But the way people are voting is being changed by the configuration of these maps,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n

Texas\u2019 demographic reality is that Latinos and white Texans each make up about 40% of the population. Yet, under the new maps, 26 of the state\u2019s districts are white-majority\u2014an intentional skew, Jones said, designed to tilt power away from communities of color.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThey\u2019re trying to cheat voters by changing the rules. Once again, that\u2019s the problem we\u2019re dealing with\u2014right here and right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Representative Venton Jones (D, 100, Dallas)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As voters in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston brace for the 2026 midterms, the question remains: how will these engineered shifts affect turnout, trust, and representation? For Rep. Venton Jones, the answer is clear. \u201cThey\u2019re trying to cheat voters by changing the rules. Once again, that\u2019s the problem we\u2019re dealing with\u2014right here and right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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