Congressman Veasey and Texas Democrats Introduce, “Anti-Rigging Act”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33) introduced the Anti-Rigging Act of 2025, joined by nine of his fellow Texas Democrats.The bill seeks to end the anti-democratic practice of mid-decade redistricting unless mandated by a court order—ensuring fairer, more transparent elections for all Americans:
“This move by Governor Abbott does Trump’s bidding, not for any legitimate constitutional purpose as they claim, but to attempt to win an election before the first ballot has been cast. Hiding it under flood relief from the victims to use them as political cover to rig an election is disgusting. Abbott and his overlord Trump are not the leaders Texans deserve or need,” Congressman Veasey, Co-chair of the Voting Rights Caucus said. “It is cynical, racist, and with clear political intent. This bill would ensure it could never happen again. They can’t win on policies because they’ve stripped millions of health care, so they are resorting to their classic playbook: cheating.”
Rep. Veasey is joined on the legislation by Representatives Lloyd Doggett, Julie Johnson, Lizzie Fletcher, Al Green, Veronica Escobar, Jasmine Crockett, Vicente Gonzalez, Greg Casar, and Sylvia Garcia.
“Mid-decade redistricting is disrespectful to citizens and disruptive to democracy,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “Once a decade, redistricting takes place not for politicians but for citizens. Politicians should not trade their constituents to maximize partisan political advantage. They deserve—and should expect—better from those elected to serve them.”
On Wednesday, at Donald Trump’s urging, Governor Abbott called a special legislative session in Texas to push through a racist and partisan redistricting plan—using flood relief as political cover, even as ongoing floods have already killed more than 100 Texans. These are the same maps Republicans passed in 2021, when they controlled both the governorship and the legislature.
“Desperate to protect an obedient Republican majority lock on Congress, and anxious that many House GOP members may lose in 2026, the president directed Governor Abbott to find him new seats through more crooked gerrymandering,” said Rep. Doggett. “Yet another power grab by a power-hungry administration that will likely redraw the entire state, impacting Austinites. We must rise up and resist.”
"Instead of focusing on providing necessary resources for emergency preparedness and prevention for the state of Texas or support for Central Texas families after the tragic Kerr flooding that has taken well over a hundred lives, Republicans are focused on more gerrymandering. Donald Trump recognizes there will be an electoral backlash from the bill he signed last week which kicks millions of Americans off their healthcare and gives the rich massive, permanent tax cuts so he instructed Governor Greg Abbott to rig the rules by prematurely redistricting Texas and adding 5 more Republican-leaning seats in Congress," said Congresswoman Escobar. "The Governor should focus on the significant and real challenges Texans face. Voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around."
“In their latest attack on our Constitution, Greg Abbott and Donald Trump are trying to rig the next election and rip away fair representation through a convoluted and shameless mid-decade redistricting plan. Let’s call this what it is: a desperate, racist power grab. It’s pathetic, and it’s rotten to the core,” said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. “I’m proud to cosponsor the Anti-Rigging Act, led by my friend Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, to make sure neither party can trample the Constitution or the Voting Rights Act. The Constitution is clear: redistricting happens once a decade, not whenever politicians feel like rigging the maps.”