John,

We're writing to share this important update from our Common Cause Texas team with supporters like you nationwide.

As we write you, they’re mobilizing to stop Donald Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott from stealing five House seats — and potentially control of Congress — before the midterms even begin.

This fight isn’t just in or about Texas either. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are working across the country to gerrymander maps and rig the rules in their favor. You can help us stop it – read on for more.

– Team Common Cause

Hi John,

I’m Emily, and I’m the Policy Director @ CCTX.

Last week, I stood outside the House Chamber of the Texas Capitol and said what the leaders of our state won’t:

Welcome to the first (and possibly annual) Donald Trump gerrymandering special session.

Because in a real democracy, you win elections with popular ideas and strong follow-through. Instead, Trump told Texas to cheat. And Abbott folded like a cheap lawn chair.

They’re redrawing our congressional maps years early—not to fix anything—but to carve out more power for themselves and silence the Texans they’re afraid of.

They can’t even agree on why they’re doing it: Abbott says the Trump DOJ thinks our maps are “too race conscious.” But under oath in court, Texas Republicans swore the same maps were totally race blind.

Verbal gymnastics. Power grabs dressed up as policy.

Let me be clear: Just because Trump’s DOJ says it’s legal doesn’t mean it is. And even if it were legal, it sure as hell isn’t fair, good, or right for Texans.

John, Texans deserve fair maps. Texans deserve representatives who actually represent them. Texans deserve to call one person when disaster hits—not five different ones because lines were drawn down the middle of their neighborhood. And so do you!

But right now, Abbott and Trump are so scared of their own voters here in Texas that they couldn’t even wait for the floodwaters to recede before trying to divide up our communities again.

You can watch the full video of my speech and see some of the ways we’re mobilizing to stop this Trump takeover here >>

LEARN MORE

Common Cause is going to fight this to the bitter end. And not just here in my state of Texas, but in states like Pennsylvania, too. We’re working year-round and nationwide to promote fair maps.

Earlier this month, our team in North Carolina went to court against racially gerrymandered maps that handed the GOP three extra seats at the expense of Black voters. We’re still waiting for a ruling — but that doesn’t mean we’re slowing down anywhere else.

John, We’re in this for the long haul, in Texas and in states like Pennsylvania, because our democracy is strongest when every voter’s voice counts equally.

You can always trust Common Cause to be at the center of the fight for fair maps anywhere gerrymandering rears its ugly head— and we’ll keep you updated every step of the way.

Thank you for standing with us.

In solidarity,

Emily Eby French, Policy Director
and the team at Common Cause Texas

P.S. If you’d like to support our team in Pennsylvania with the resources they need to take on racial and partisan gerrymandering schemes in court and in the legislature, you can make a donation to Common Cause Pennsylvania here >>