Texas House Representative Nicole Collier received a national spotlight on Tuesday. She chose to remain within the Texas House chamber to circumvent a “dehumanizing” practice enforced by Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows. Texas Democrats fired this shot out of cannon in a broader campaign. They hope to take the fight to the newly drawn congressional district lines, which a lot of folks in the party think rig the map for Republicans.
Collier, who represents a Fort Worth minority-majority district. Photo courtesy of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Monday night into Tuesday morning, she live-streamed herself on the House floor to ensure the world witnessed her protest. She made those moves after her dramatic dash from the state with scores of other Democrats. They found safe haven in deep blue states such as California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York earlier this year.
Collier’s protest comes as part of a crowded and oftentimes contentious political scene in Texas. Here, Democrats are united in fighting the recently redrawn congressional maps. These maps have been challenged for racial gerrymandering, or diluting the voting power of minorities, giving an advantage to Republican candidates.
On Tuesday, Collier and other urgent Democratic representatives retook the Capitol with a mission to restore their agency. They tore up the “permission slips” they had previously signed to leave the chamber, symbolizing their rejection of the protocols enforced by the Republican majority.
“It’s a weird feeling. The only way to explain the entire process is: it’s like I’m in a movie.” – Linda Garcia
Collier didn’t stand alone in her act of resistance. She was later joined on the floor by House Minority Leader Gene Wu from Houston and state representative Vincel Perez from El Paso, each of whom spent the night on the House floor in solidarity with her. The trio’s collective presence emphasized their commitment to protesting what they perceive as an attack on both their dignity and their constituents’ rights.
Collier recounted that plainclothes officers were tailing her and her Democrat colleagues outside of the chamber. She explained that this measure was part of an effort to further restrict their movement, further exacerbating the situation. During that account, she shared her outrage, saying that for officers to have to follow her was an attack on her sense of dignity.
Other Democrats joined Collier in condemning the intrusive police deployment. Austin at-large representative Sheryl Cole described her experiences with law enforcement escorts while trying to move around the Capitol’s grounds.
Today’s fight over the congressional maps is a product of the post-2020 census redistricting process. Together, these two things have sparked enormous redistricting movements around the country. Texas, having gained two additional congressional seats due to population growth, has become a focal point in this national conversation. The proposed maps are seen by many Democrats as a means for Republicans to solidify their power in future elections.
Collier and her colleagues are shredding their permission slips. As for next steps, the coalition of plaintiffs announced plans to file a legal challenge against the new congressional maps. They contend that these maps intentionally thwart meaningful representation for minority communities throughout Texas.
Collier’s actions may seem extraordinary on the surface. Though symbolic, they’re just a small part of a larger strategy by Texas Democrats to delay the Republican-controlled legislature from finalizing the state’s redrawn congressional districts. Their playbook centers on spotlighting their complaints through the court of public opinion and the court system.
Tensions are running high between state Democrats and Republicans over redistricting. Collier’s very hard-line position inside the House chamber further demonstrates that even for those winning political representation in Texas, they’re still having to fight tooth and nail.