Dallas County commissioners will begin considering new redistricting options this week, and the efforts could favor Democratic candidates in future elections.
Every decade, the county redraws its electoral maps with new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Just like legislators in Austin are deciding state House and Senate boundaries, and the Dallas City Council will debate new districts, the Commissioners Court is tasked with adjusting its own lines based on population and demographic changes.
Technically, the commissioners do not have to redraw the district lines. The county’s population grew by more than 245,000 since the last census to 2.6 million, but the distribution of residents didn’t shift enough to force a change in the maps.
However, demographic differences give the Democratic-led Commissioners Court a chance to strengthen the voting power of minority groups. Over the past decade, the percentage of white non-Hispanic residents in the county dropped from 33% to 28%, while the Hispanic population grew from 38% to 40%. The number of Black residents has remained steady at 22%.
The Commissioners Court begins public hearings Tuesday on three options — all of which dilute Republican voting power while solidifying Democratic control.
Especially in northern Dallas’ District 2, Commissioner J.J. Koch, the five-member court’s lone Republican, said the suggested maps could shut him and other GOP candidates out.
“[The maps] are a little bit shocking,” Koch said. “If that isn’t gerrymandering, I don’t know what is.”
But the maps also will improve the voting power of Hispanics and keep cities grouped in single districts, which Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said was one of his primary goals in redistricting.
“It’s hard to draw these districts on a purely political basis,” Jenkins said. “The map should hold together communities of interest.”
Here’s what voters need to know about the county’s redistricting process and how to weigh in:
How does the county determine new boundaries?
Earlier this year, the county hired three outside consultants to review the Census data and propose new district lines.
The most important requirement is for each district to have the same general population. Districts must also comply with the Voting Rights Act by not discriminating against minority communities.
Jenkins — who holds a countywide seat and is not bound by a specific district — said that can often lead to partisan conflicts.
“There’s no way to do redistricting where everyone is happy,” Jenkins said. “It’s more personal than just about anything to the commissioners because it’s their district.”
What other county boundaries could change?
The Commissioners Court will determine districts for four members as well as five justice of the peace districts and five constable precincts. First, the county will decide the Commissioners Court districts, since those are affected by the population and the number of residents must be evenly distributed in each district.
The justice of the peace and constable districts will be decided later, and will be determined by evenly distributing the workload that comes out of each rather than the population. Justices of the peace preside over misdemeanor courts, small civil cases, landlord disputes and evictions. They can also perform marriage ceremonies. Constables are law enforcement officers who serve warrants and civil papers like subpoenas and restraining orders.
Will my district change?
Technically the current maps do not need to change at all. The county’s population distribution didn’t change enough to make a difference in the Commissioners Court districts.
The population change in each district must remain under 10% on any new court-approved map. According to new census data, District 1 — which encompasses much of East Dallas and is represented by Theresa Daniel — changed the most with only a 1.7% decrease.
What are the map options?
Commissioners on Tuesday will consider three new maps, and the options are available on the county’s website.
- Their first will grow North Dallas’ District 2 by almost 3% while shrinking West Dallas’ District 4 by almost 4%. It’s meant to pull suburban cities like Garland and Mesquite into a single district rather than split them as they are currently.
- The second option would grow District 1 by 2% and District 3, in southern Dallas, by 1%, while shrinking District 4 by 2.8%.
- The third option adjusts some district lines but changes each by less than a percent. The goal is to create a district that strengthens the voting power of Hispanic residents.
How will the new plans change the political makeup of the Commissioners Court?
In the 2020 election, all four Commissioners Court districts voted primarily for Democrats. The only toss-up was District 2, represented by Koch. Voters in that district were split 54% in favor of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and 51% in favor of Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
But according to an analysis from The Dallas Morning News, the three proposals would all cede some Republican votes to districts 1, 3 and 4 — all Democratic strongholds — while giving Democrats a slight edge in Koch’s too-close-to-call district.
For example, Koch said two of the map options would stretch Commissioner John Wiley Price’s southern Dallas district north through Rowlett, a Republican stronghold.
“All of them kind of cut me off from Anglo Republicans,” Koch said, “which is not something they’re supposed to be doing.”
Price said his goal in redistricting is to think ahead about how each districts’ demographics will shift over the next decade and protect the voting power of minority communities. What they decide now will help determine the court’s makeup in years to come, Price said.
“We’ll always have some conversation about what you think is prescient,” Price said. “All you’ve got to do is see how it’s trending.”
Redistricting rules mandate that similar groups of voters should not be split between districts because it would marginalize or dilute their voting power. Koch said that by taking portions of his Republican-voting district and splitting them among other commissioners, the court could disenfranchise white voters, who make up 28% of the county’s population.
“They’re cracking the white Republicans to make it an all-Democratic court in the next 10 years,” Koch said. “They have the power of the pen.”
When did the county last go through redistricting?
In 2011, the court approved a new map based on the 2010 Census, which gave District 1 more Democratic voters. Daniel, a Democrat, was elected to the new district in 2012, replacing Republican Maurine Dickey.
A group of white residents sued Dallas County in federal court in 2015, saying the 2011 redistricting process was discriminatory toward white, Republican voters. The suit was thrown out by a federal judge, who said their “voting power has been strengthened, rather than diluted, by the concentration of Anglos in [precinct 2] where they can reliably elect a Republican candidate.”
How can I voice my opinion on the plans?
The county has scheduled two public hearings. They will both be at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Nov. 2 at the Dallas County Administration Building, 411 Elm St. Members of the public can also register online to attend virtually at the county’s website.
