The nationwide redistricting saga for congressional seats, which is going down on the federal stage, is coming house to the county stage.
Fort Bend County Republicans search to do on a county stage what President Donald Trump, by way of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s congressional redistricting efforts, seeks to do on the nationwide stage. However throughout a current Commissioners Courtroom assembly, Fort Bend County Commissioner Dexter McCoy (Precinct 4) launched authorized findings that refute GOP claims that county maps are defective and wish redrawing.
Fort Bend County, which is understood nationally as one of the vital racially, ethnically and religiously numerous counties in all the nation, may quickly solidify white Republican “minority” rule. This may be finished if efforts by Fort Bend Republicans to redraw the county’s present Commissioner Precinct maps have been profitable, growing Republican electoral illustration and lowering Democrat-held seats.
Authorized knowledgeable weighs in
McCoy lately launched a authorized opinion from Robert T. “Bob” Bass — certainly one of Texas’ foremost specialists in county redistricting regulation — affirming that Fort Bend County’s present 2021 Commissioner Precinct maps are in full compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act.
“This authorized opinion confirms what we have now been saying from the beginning: our present maps are lawful, truthful, and absolutely compliant with the Voting Rights Act,” mentioned McCoy. “The one factor driving this course of is a blatant try and assault the voting rights of our group’s numerous voting base— not authorized necessity and definitely not the perfect pursuits of Fort Bend County residents.”
On the heart of this county redistricting saga is federally indicted County Decide KP George.
Instantly after George was arrested in April on two felony counts of cash laundering tied to alleged wire fraud and tampering with a marketing campaign finance report, he left the Democratic Social gathering to affix the GOP, a transfer that was lambasted by many GOP members. That’s, till requires redrawing the county Commissioner maps started to echo. George’s get together swap gave Fort Bend County Republicans a 3-2 majority on Commissioners Courtroom, the physique that makes choices about county maps.
All Commissioner Precinct-based seats will likely be affected by redrawn maps, together with commissioner, constable and justice of the peace seats.
Since George’s transfer, the Commissioners Courtroom’s new Republican majority has pushed for substantial redistricting modifications.
Not surprisingly, George contends that redistricting instantly is a should regardless of Bass’s knowledgeable authorized opinion and even if redistricting takes place after the U.S. Census, which takes place as soon as a decade. The nation is 5 years away from the subsequent U.S. Census, and thus 5 years away from the subsequent redistricting sanctioned by the U.S. Structure.
“In 2021, redistricting occurred once I was on the opposite facet,” mentioned George. “There have been sure issues finished that weren’t proper. I didn’t know on the time, you can’t redistrict primarily based on race. However no person advised me that isn’t the case.
“Due to that very motive, our map could possibly be not authorized. So, we’re within the means of fixing that. The Republican majority is within the means of… we already initiated a correct redistricting, a authorized redistricting.”
George says the GOP’s “correctly redrawn” maps ought to be able to current to the general public by the top of subsequent month.
GOP redistricting efforts unfounded
At any time when the GOP maps are introduced, in accordance with McCoy and Bass’s knowledgeable authorized opinion, these maps are bordering on illegal.
Bass had been employed by Fort Bend County for authorized recommendation for each redistricting effort since 1990.
When requested in Commissioners Courtroom on July 8, 2025, why Bass had not been retained for this effort County Commissioner Andy Myers (Precinct 3), thought of the primary architect behind Fort Bend County GOP redistricting efforts said, “They [Attorney Bass and firm] now not do this work, Bob Bass retired, they usually’re form of rebuilding that facet of their observe.”
That assertion turned out to be “non-factual.”
In line with McCoy’s workplace, Bass cautioned in opposition to such [GOP redistricting] efforts, primarily due to the unavailability of official census knowledge on the census block stage, which is critical to redistrict correctly. Furthermore, redistricting now, 5 years earlier than the subsequent U.S. Census, could be problematic legally as a result of U.S. Census knowledge is the one knowledge that’s given official recognition by the Courts.
Within the Bass authorized opinion introduced by McCoy, Bass reiterated that the maps adopted in 2021 –maps he licensed—stay legally sound and don’t dilute the voting energy of any protected class.
McCoy mentioned Bass’s authorized opinion makes it clear that the court docket’s present boundaries meet all authorized necessities.
“This authorized opinion confirms what we have now been saying from the beginning: our present maps are lawful, truthful and absolutely compliant with the Voting Rights Act,” mentioned McCoy. “The one factor driving this course of is a blatant try and assault the voting rights of our group’s numerous voting base— not authorized necessity and definitely not the perfect pursuits of Fort Bend County residents.”
Racial affect
In Fort Bend, as nationally, white individuals vote Republican in overwhelming numbers. The Republican Social gathering holds a 15 proportion level benefit amongst white voters, that means 56% of non-Hispanic white voters determine with or lean towards the Republican Social gathering. In distinction, 41% align with the Democratic Social gathering, in accordance with an April 2024 Pew Analysis Heart report.
This double-digit lead for the GOP amongst white voters has been constant for over a decade, with the final near-even cut up between the 2 events occurring in 2008.
Blacks, Latinos, Asians and different individuals of shade, as a physique, each nationally and in Fort Bend County, are likely to vote for Democrats most of the time. Thus, the present redistricting efforts in Fort Bend County, spurred on by the Commissioners Courtroom’s newfound 3-2 Republican majority, have direct racial implications concerning political illustration.
