Hundreds tell Texas House select committee: don’t redraw congressional maps mid‑decade

ARLINGTON, Texas — Hundreds of residents, civic groups and elected officials packed a University of Texas at Arlington auditorium on July 28 to oppose a proposed mid‑decade redraw of Texas’ congressional map, telling the House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting that the move is unnecessary and threatens minority representation.

The chair opened the hearing saying the panel convened to take public testimony on “proposed revisions of congressional redistricting” under the governor’s July 9, 2025 special‑session proclamation. The committee emphasized it had not released or approved any draft plan and that in‑person testimony would be limited to two minutes per speaker; registration for in‑person testimony closed during the hearing and the committee set a five‑hour cap for the day’s testimony to allow as many witnesses as possible.

Why it matters: Texas gained congressional seats after the 2020 census, and voting‑rights groups say the state’s growth was overwhelmingly among people of color. Witnesses said attempting another map now — without new…