Investigating Texas’s Unprecedented Redistricting Scheme

American Oversight today announced the launch of an investigation into Texas officials’ scheme — carried out at the behest of President Trump — to force through an extraordinary mid-decade redraw of congressional districts ahead of the 2026 elections. The aggressive power grab could lock in partisan advantage, further distort representation, and silence voters, particularly voters of color, for years to come.

The nonpartisan watchdog has filed multiple public information requests seeking records from Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton, key legislative leaders, and members of the state’s redistricting committees.

The requests seek communications between state officials and national political organizations, including the Republican National Committee, the Republican State Leadership Committee, the National Republican Redistricting Trust, and affiliated operatives, as well as federal agencies and the White House. They also seek records containing terms related to redistricting strategy, special legislative sessions, and specific geographic areas in Texas.

“With Texas’ long record of gerrymandering and repeated court rulings striking down its maps, the public has every reason to be alarmed by how this latest redraw is being planned,” said Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight. “Texans deserve fair maps — not districts carved up in back rooms with guidance from partisan operatives and national political organizations. This is yet another example of the Trump administration and its allies abusing power to lock in partisan control at voters’ expense. These records will show how Texas is shaping its districts for political gain, not the public good. The stakes are nothing less than the strength of our democracy and whether every Texan’s vote counts equally.”

“Texans have fought for decades to secure fair maps that reflect the diversity and reality of our communities, yet time and again, political leaders have tried to rig the process to protect their own power and dilute the voting power of Black, Latino, and Asian Texans,” said Sarah Xiyi Chen, Senior Supervising Attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project. “When districts are drawn in secret with no real public input, it is the people of Texas who lose — their voices diluted, their communities divided, their votes made to matter less. We’ve seen this playbook before, and it’s a direct attack on our democracy. We must protect the integrity of our elections by  shining a light on how these maps are being drawn and to hold those in power accountable to the people they are supposed to serve.”

The investigation comes amid extensive reporting on the high-stakes redistricting fight expected in Texas’ special legislative session. Those accounts have already made clear that partisan operatives and national political groups are deeply involved in shaping the process. American Oversight’s records requests aim to build on that public record of the behind-the-scenes coordination and influence that threaten fair representation for Texas voters.