by After approving a map with altered precinct borders on June 3, Tarrant County filed a move to dismiss a lawsuit filed by residents alleging the county had participated in racial gerrymandering.
According to the motion, there is no proof of discriminatory intent in the redistricting process, the districts being altered are not protected by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the court presiding over the case lacks jurisdiction over the issue.
In order to attract Precinct 2 County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, the county in the motion argues that they were redistricting only to expand the Republican majority on the court from 3-2 to 4-1. Next year, she will run for reelection.
Tony Tinderholt, a Republican state representative from Arlington, declared his desire to seek for the position.
According to the motion, Tarrant County approved a redistricting plan that, from its inception to its implementation, was an unmistakable, blatant, and audacious attempt to give the Commissioners Court more Republican and less Democratic influence.
The lawsuit’s plaintiffs contend that by placing Black and Latino voters in more white districts, the court-approved district map denies them the right to vote and dilutes their vote.
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The precinct maps were analyzed by the UCLA Voting Rights Project at the request of Democratic commissioners Simmons and Roderick Miles Jr. According to the analysis, all proposed plans excessively cram Black and Hispanic populations into a single district, and all redistributed maps were created based on racial features.
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According to the motion, the commissioners’ approved plan, known as plan 7, still disproportionately represents the Black community because Black commissioner Miles would represent 25% of the precincts, despite the fact that Black people make up 19% of the county’s population.
The motion asserts that despite the fact that Black elected officials continue to possess a disproportionate number of district seats on the Commissioners Court, plaintiffs suggest that any situation in which Democrats lose power is driven by race.
County Judge Tim O. Hare and Tarrant County Commissioner Simmons were contacted by KERA News for comment; their responses will be updated in this report.
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