Tarrant County judge fast-tracking redistricting map process, voters say

It was only last Wednesday that Commissioner Alisa Simmons said she had a meeting with a representative for the Public Interest Legal Foundation, or PILF.

"It took a week or less for him to draw five maps," Simmons said while addressing Joe Nixon, an attorney for PILF. "Using what criteria? What principles?"

On Friday morning, less than 48 hours after PILF met individually with Tarrant County Commissioners, five maps were submitted and later published online.

The drafts of the maps are now available to view on the .

Voters present at Tuesday’s meeting voiced concern over the alleged fast-tracking process led by Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare in support of County Commissioners Manny Ramirez and Matt Krause.

Krause was absent, and Ramirez did not make any comment during the meeting.

“Why is this being rushed?” Nidia Cardenas asked. Cardenas said she lives in Precinct 4. “The current timeline gives the community probably a month to understand and respond to changes that will affect political representation for years, if not decades. This gives the firm little time to incorporate feedback meaningfully.”

Nixon told the court the timeline was not up to PILF.

“The timeline, we didn't create the timeline, the timeline was created by the county,” Nixon said.

Last month, in a 3-2 vote, Tarrant County Commissioners approved the out-of-state law firm to analyze and create new district maps.

On Tuesday morning during the county commissioner’s court, PILF made its first public appearance for a briefing.

However, minimal information was provided to voters.

“I just want to compliment the county administration for doing such a great job in putting the proposed maps,” Nixon said. “Each of the commissioners had the opportunity to work with us, to work with everyone individually. We put the maps that the commissioners asked (for). Each one based upon their input, not ours, and the county administration has put up all those maps online. They’re interactive.”

In separate images, the website features the current map as well as the five proposals. The most notable shifts are to Precinct 1 represented in an orange shade and Precinct 2 in yellow.

“Once again, you’re cutting up voter interest blocks. Groups of people that really care and vote together on particular issues,” Jackie Cox said. Cox is a Tarrant County resident. “We are protected under the Voting Rights Act. We have a right to have representation, not only elected representation, but also representation in the process that leads to the election.”

The map proposals, however, do not include the overlay of existing boundaries or city boundaries.

“I am disappointed in the inadequate work product of PILF,” Simmons said. “We need a detailed breakdown of the racial makeup of the overall population, the voting age population and citizen age voting population.”

Simmons pressed Nixon about how the maps were created.

“We haven’t drawn any map. Each of the commissioners and the judge has drawn maps,” Nixon said. Nixon did not disclose the maps each commissioner allegedly drew. “We don’t decide where the lines are. They gave us input, and our map drawer prepared maps based upon their input, not ours.”

The map drawer was identified as Adam Kincaid.

Ultimately, Nixon was not able to provide information on the criteria used by Kincaid.

“We need representation that will help us draw the maps,” Cox said. “Right now, we can’t even get access to where the data came from. We can’t tell what you’re doing to us, and we can’t put our ammunition together to fire back because you have withheld what we need to know.”

Nixon later admitted Kincaid was not a PILF employee and was subcontracted.

“I really would like map drawers that have people with the expertise to draw maps that will come out to be fair to everyone,” Cox said.

Over the phone, Simmons said the map she submitted to the firm via email was the current map.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Roderick Miles Jr. also voiced concerns over the map proposals.

“Some of the maps that were presented, the majority of my unincorporated Tarrant County roads were taken away,” Miles said. “How is that going to affect my maintenance facility and the staff that we support? When you shrink it down to basically nothing, then that has implication on the people we hire.”

Miles also voiced concerns over how quickly the process has moved.

“The current maps are legal and valid,” Miles said. “A rushed timeline of June 3^rd does not give legitimate time for community input. We need to make it as accessible, open, transparent to every resident in Tarrant County as we possibly can. If that means extending the timelines, so be it.”

While in the past, there have been voters who have voiced support for the redistricting process, on Tuesday, all public comments were against the issue and how it has been handled.

Four public hearings are scheduled in May. The meetings will kick off in Azle next Tuesday and wrap up less than two weeks before the vote on June 3.

“Redistricting without any new census data, without clear justification, and under a rushed timeline is suspect,” Cardenas said. “But doing it in this way without transparency or meaningful engagement undermines public trust and democratic legitimacy.”

Nixon, however, did not provide further background on the process or if PILF plans to make changes to the maps based on public input.

In addition to accepting online public comments, Nixon encouraged community members to submit their own map proposal.

“No mapping tool has been provided,” Ann Zadeh, former Fort Worth City Councilmember, said during public comment. “To expect a citizen to create a map and upload it for you to look at is completely unacceptable. When the City of Fort Worth did it, they had a mapping tool that was incredible.”

To view and read more about the proposed redistricting map options, how to submit maps, and how to provide comments, visit the Tarrant County Redistricting 2025 website here.

Public Hearings Schedule:

May 13th at 6 p.m.
Azle ISD Administration Building
300 Roe Street
Azle, TX 76020

May 14th at 6 p.m.
Como Community Center
4660 Horne Street
Fort Worth, TX 76107

May 17th at 10 a.m.
Arlington Subcourthouse
700 E Abram St.
Arlington, TX 76010

May 21st at 6 p.m.
Gary Fickes Northeast Courthouse
645 Grapevine Hwy
Hurst, TX 76054