Wednesday marked the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark federal law barring racial discrimination in elections.
It comes as the battle over redrawing Texas’ congressional maps has become a national controversy.
At the Build the Backlash event at Greater Saint Stephen First Baptist Church on Berry Street in Fort Worth, Democrats from every level of government used the historic anniversary to slam early redistricting efforts Wednesday night.
“Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act,” said Michael Bell, the church’s pastor.
Six decades ago, Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill to block racial discrimination in elections.
Today, Democrats say that the law is under attack, as Texas Republicans move to redraw the state’s voting maps in an effort to flip five congressional seats from Democrats to the GOP.
One of those targeted districts belongs to Fort Worth Congressman Marc Veasey, who called early redistricting an attack on the voting power of minorities.
“We’ve got to do everything we can to defeat these racist maps,” said Veasey. “If they’re going to bring a knife, we’re going to bring a knife.”
Texas Republican leaders have defended redistricting as a purely political move to strengthen GOP influence, which they say reflects the will of Texas voters.
“The whole thing is about power, maintaining power or losing power,” said political analyst Carlos Rovelo. “So Democrats are doing this as a last option to slow the process.”
Some experts said that despite Texas House Democrats fleeing the state this week to delay a vote on redistricting, they likely don’t have a clear path to prevent the maps from being adopted.
“At the end of the day, if we look back at history, they will come back home and Republicans will get their business done in their favor,” said Rovelo.
In Fort Worth, Democrats also voiced support for U.S. Senate candidate Colin Allred.
“So we can say that we’re going to ban gerrymandering in this country,” said Allred.
Allred said redistricting threatens the protections signed into law 60 years ago and urged Democrats in North Texas to mobilize and bring new voters to the fight.
“We’re not going to have this in our country, we’re not going to have this as a people,” Allred said.
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