Hispanic officials sign letter opposing Tarrant County redistricting

A collection of 12 Hispanic state, city, and school board officials from Fort Worth and Tarrant County signed a pair of letters letter opposing redistricting the county Commissioners Court.

The first included signatures from Fort Worth city council Jeanette Martinez and Carlos Flores, Fort Worth school board members Roxanne Martinez, Anael Luebanos, and Camille Rodriguez, Castleberry school board members Mary Lou Martinez, Linda Aguillón, Ariela Martinez, and Cathy Gatica, and State Rep. Ramon Romero, D-Fort Worth.

The second letter was signed by Justice of the Peace Sergio De Leon and Constable Pete Munoz.

Both letters said the Commissioners Court is using old census data making it inappropriate to redistrict in the middle of a census cycle.

Both letters also argued the proposed redistricting maps pack Hispanic and Black residents into a single precinct, which they said would violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act by reducing their political representation.

The majority on the Commissioners Court shouldn’t seek to silence minority voices through a violation of the Voting Rights Act, the letters said.

“Rather, we are stronger as a growing, diverse, community when we reject this overt discrimination and instead seek to make a place for everyone at the table,” the letter from the city and school district officials said.

Proponents of the redistricting, including Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare and county commissioners Manny Ramirez and Matt Krause, have argued the redistricting is needed to preserve conservative leadership in Tarrant County.

Ramirez, in an Star-Telegram guest opinion column, wrote the county’s growth and success is the result conservative leadership. Preserving the conservative majority will ensure the county’s continued success, Ramirez said.

However, opponents have hammered the potential violations of the Voting Rights Act, citing the way the proposed maps concentrate Tarrant County’s non-white populations in a single commissioners court district.

The commissioners are scheduled to vote on the redistricting at their meeting Tuesday.

Harrison Mantas

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

817-390-7040

Harrison Mantas has covered Fort Worth city government, agencies and people since September 2021. He likes to live tweet city hall meetings, and help his fellow Fort Worthians figure out what’s going on.