A federal judge has ruled in favor of voters who sued Galveston County, Texas, stating that the county’s precinct maps must be redrawn. The judge determined that the current maps deny Blacks and Latinos equal voting rights, which violates the Voting Rights Act. One particular precinct, Precinct 3, had its percentage of Black and Latino voters reduced from 61% to 31% during the 2021 redistricting process. The judge described this change as stark, jarring, shocking, meanspirited, and egregious. The Texas Civil Rights Project, who represented the voters, argued that the county adopted a plan that dismantled the voting bloc instead of following a benchmark plan that would have maintained a majority Black and Latino district. The judge’s ruling was strongly supported by the Texas Civil Rights Project, which deemed the maps discriminatory. Galveston County Judge Mark Henry, however, disagrees with the ruling and believes the county followed redistricting laws without engaging in racial discrimination. Commissioner Holmes, who represents Precinct 3, expressed that the redistricting process this time was different from previous occasions, with only one meeting held in the middle of the day instead of multiple meetings accessible to the public. The community has been affected because it deprives the Black and Latino community of the right to elect their chosen candidate. The court has ordered the county to submit a new redistricting plan by October 20th, and the maps must be adopted before the 2024 election. Interview requests with Galveston County Judge Mark Henry were unanswered.
Galveston County Ordered to Redraw Redistricting Maps
