After lawmakers approved a redrawn map that shifts political boundaries across Williamson and Travis counties, students may soon find themselves re-represented in the new congressional districts.

The new map includes changes to representation in neighborhoods surrounding the school and in the U.S. House of Representatives. While some families will remain in long-standing districts, others could be moved into newly drawn lines that reach deeper into Central Texas suburbs. For Cedar Park residents, the change could affect not only their ballot but also which issues their representatives prioritize, from school funding and infrastructure to suburban growth.

“I was very angry when I first heard about the new congressional map,” senior Omotayo Segun said. “I wasn’t surprised. It feels like the three-fifths compromise all over again.”

The map, passed in August 2025, redraws district boundaries across central Texas, including neighborhoods around Cedar Park. Civil rights groups and Democratic lawmakers argue that the plan dilutes the voting rights of minority communities by splitting up areas where black and Hispanic residents make up a large portion of the population, in a process known as gerrymandering, which is completely legal unless under racially-motivated or discriminatory reasons.

“Today, the majority will prevail, but the rights of minorities were ignored, outnumbered, outvoted, and outgunned,” Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) said in an interview with the Texas Tribune. “Democrats will go down fighting, having used every available legislative tool. My prayer is that the pendulum will swing sooner rather than later, and that when it does, Democrats will respect all minorities, including political.”

Democratic leaders disagreed with the new boundaries. However, Republicans have rejected claims that race was a factor in how the new lines were drawn. After fierce debate,  the congressional map was passed, even with democratic representatives fighting against it in Illinois in August by leaving the state to delay a quorum.

“You will not silence the majority in the state of Texas,” Rep. Katrina Pierson (R-Rockwall) said on ABC News. “You can throw your tantrum, you can leave, you can run, and you can ignore the will of the rest of the voters, but it’s honestly time to pick a new narrative. The racist rhetoric is old.”

With seniors and some juniors turning 18 before the next election, many will be voting in congressional races for the first time in 2026, but not all students are aware of how the new map may affect their representation.

“I was excited,” Segun said. “Next year, I’ll finally get to vote, but now it feels like my vote won’t count as much. Voting is supposed to be about standing up for your rights and what you believe in, but this makes it belittled.”

Hispanics/Latinos and African Americans’ votes now count as a third and a fifth of the vote of a white person in Texas, respectively. These changes to the map are being made earlier than usual. Most states redraw their congressional maps once a decade when official population counts are released. Texas decided to do it earlier this year due to pressure from President Trump.

“We’re returning to Texas more dangerous to Republicans’ plans than when we left,” Gene Wu (D-Houston) said on NPR. “Our return allows us to build the legal record necessary to defeat this racist map in court, take our message to communities across the state and country, and inspire legislators across the country on how to fight these undemocratic redistricting schemes in their own statehouses.”