Was wondering when they were going to get around to this.
The Fort Bend County Commissioners Court voted 3–2 Monday to adopt a new precinct map, replacing boundaries drawn in 2021 and reigniting debate over political representation in the county.
The measure passed with support from Republicans County Judge KP George, Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales, and Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers. Democrats Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage and Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy voted against it, after heated exchanges between commissioners that prompted repeated calls for order from George.
Supporters said the new map corrects what George described as “a partisan imbalance” created under the previous, Democratic-led court and restores transparency to the redistricting process.
Opponents countered that the new lines divide established neighborhoods and could weaken minority representation.
[…]
Proponents said the new map produces two Democratic-leaning and two Republican-leaning precincts, keeps elected officials within their current precincts, and costs far less than the 2021 overhaul.
Fort Bend County Republican Party Chairman Bobby Eberle said the 2021 map unfairly tilted the balance of power toward Democrats.
“Without transparency or public review, the Democrats in 2021 put forward a map to change the balance of power by creating three Democrat commissioner precincts and only one Republican precinct,” Eberle said. “This was a political power grab that does not represent the voters of Fort Bend County.”
Supporters said the new boundaries return the court to an even 2-2 partisan makeup — two Republicans and two Democrats — and were reviewed by outside legal counsel to ensure compliance with federal voting laws.
George also disputed claims that redistricting costs were excessive, saying the 2021 effort cost about $545,000 and that higher figures cited by critics were tied to unrelated courtroom construction projects.
Much of the debate centered on new language in the redistricting order describing the 2021 map as one that used race “as the predominant factor” and designated Precinct 4 as a “coalition precinct,” McCoy said.
The order cited the Fifth Circuit’s 2024 decision in Petaway v. Galveston County, which limited the use of coalition districts — areas where two or more minority groups are combined to form a majority — under the Voting Rights Act.
McCoy repeatedly pressed outside counsel to define “coalition district” and explain the basis for labeling Precinct 4 as one, but the attorney declined to answer in open session, citing attorney-client privilege.
McCoy argued that all four Fort Bend precincts are minority-majority and that singling out Precinct 4 was unsupported by evidence.
He also cited a memo from civil-rights organizations arguing that Petaway does not prohibit coalition districts and warning the county against using race to justify mid-decade redistricting.
Prestage urged the court to remove the “coalition” and “race-predominant” clauses, calling them “unnecessary” and likely to invite litigation. A motion to enter closed session for legal consultation failed on a 3–2 vote.
The majority — George, Morales and Meyers — kept the language intact, saying it was necessary to address equal-protection concerns under Petaway. The final order and map were approved 3–2.
That a redraw of the Commissioners Court precincts was on the docket came up right after KP George switched parties in June. I assume someone will file a lawsuit against this, but I doubt there would be a different outcome than in Tarrant County. It’s probably also too late to get a hearing for a restraining order before the opening of filing season, though I suppose an emergency petition could be heard and ruled on in time. I don’t expect the courts to affect this, is what I’m saying.
I haven’t seen an analysis of the partisan performance of these precincts, so it’s not clear to me what “two Democratic-leaning and two Republican-leaning precincts” means in numeric terms. The wild card here is Judge KP George himself and his perilous legal position. That’s the Republicans’ problem now. Fort Bend politics have always been a little extra. Add this to the pile of weird stuff we’ll be dealing with next year.