“As is proposed, the splitting of Fort Bend County into three different congressional districts dilutes our majority share within our congressional district and forces our community to fight for representation with communities that naturally have their unique interests and values that differ from ours,” George said in the letter.
Currently, almost all of Fort Bend County lies within Texas’ 22nd Congressional District, held by U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Richmond, with a portion of it in Texas’ 9th Congressional District held by Green.
Instead of the proposed maps that would further divide Fort Bend County, George called on the Texas House of Representatives to ensure that a congressional district, in its entirety, be located within the already existing borders of the county. He said that the ideal population of a congressional district is 766,987 people—comparable to Fort Bend County’s population of about 822,779.
“Our residents deserve to choose their politicians, not the other way around,” George said. “Our community is a diverse mix of urban, suburban and rural. Political boundaries have tremendous consequences on the livelihood and trajectory of a community. At this momentous time in the history of Fort Bend County, it is imperative that our residents are not disenfranchised by diluting our diverse community’s votes with that of other much more rural communities around us.”
