Texas GOP Senate Passes Redistricting Plan Cutting Latino Voting Power

Texas Republicans are pursuing a mid-decade redistricting plan aimed at gaining five additional U.S. House seats by redrawing districts currently held by Democrats, particularly targeting Latino-majority areas. Although the plan nominally adds a new majority-Latino district, it strategically fragments Latino neighborhoods—known as packing and cracking—to diminish Latino voters' influence and bolster Republican control, especially in South Texas and urban centers. Democrats have strongly opposed the plan, with some fleeing the state to deny the legislature a quorum, arguing that the redistricting silences Latino voices and violates the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution. The redistricting battle is intertwined with a contentious U.S. Senate race, intensifying partisan standoffs and legal threats from both parties and state officials. Public opinion polls reveal widespread disapproval of the redistricting effort among Texas voters, including many Republican-leaning constituents, with most prioritizing other legislative issues over redistricting. Additionally, a majority of Texans disapprove of efforts to arrest absent Democratic lawmakers who fled to block the vote, illustrating deep divisions over the process and legitimacy of the GOP's redistricting push.