October 4, 2025

When I started Democracy Docket in 2020, we didn’t have any reporters. It was me and a staff of three powered by my email list of friends and colleagues. I had a vision of what we could become, and I’m proud to say we have blown past even my highest expectations. 

Over the last five years, Democracy Docket has grown to a staff of over 20 people. We’re building out a video team. We’re sending out newsletters every day of the week — oftentimes twice a day. We’re doing critical reporting on issues the legacy media is too afraid or too obtuse to cover. 

And this week, we hit another major milestone. We sent a journalist out into the field beyond the Washington, D.C. borders. Our reporter, Jen Rice, is spending ten days in El Paso covering the critical Texas redistricting hearings. 

The three-judge panel is faced with a decision that will drastically affect the outcome of the 2026 midterms — and the voices of the voters in Texas. As Texas Democrats argue that the racially gerrymandered map is silencing minority voters across the state, Republicans are defending their map as a partisan gerrymander that complies with the law. The truth is clear: minority communities are being used as pawns in the GOP’s vicious game to hand the midterms to Donald Trump. 

This isn’t just a partisan gerrymander. This is an attack on our democracy and another power grab by Donald Trump — all at the expense of minority voters. 

The panel’s decision will be an important marker in the legal fights ahead. It will also determine whether the GOP will get an additional five congressional seats, which could determine who controls Congress in January 2027. 

That’s why it’s so critical we stay focused, and why Jen’s reporting is so vital. As other news outlets look elsewhere, we will have our eyes focused on Texas, bringing you the essential, live coverage you need to stay up-to-date. 

It’s moments like these that I’m so clearly reminded of Democracy Docket’s mission. When the hearing began on Wednesday, there was only a smattering of coverage from a handful of outlets in the courtroom. That number quickly dropped further. By Friday, the courtroom’s press box was almost empty: virtually all of the national legacy media made the choice not to send anyone. Jen is one of the last remaining reporters there and will be for the remainder of the 10-day hearing.

It was almost a metaphor for the last few months. When the Texas gerrymandering saga began, it captured the nation’s attention. Trump’s overreach was so stark and unprecedented that all heads were whipped toward Texas. The Democratic lawmakers fled. Gov. Abbott sued them. Sen. John Cornyn sent the FBI to find the Texas Democrats. To put it bluntly: there was drama, and is anyone really above tearing their eyes away from drama? 

It was also a unifying moment for Democrats. It lit a fire. Gov. JB Pritzker welcomed the Texas lawmakers to his state, and now, Gov. Gavin Newsom is putting his own redrawn map on the ballot for Californians. 

But, attention spans only last so long. From Jimmy Kimmel being pulled off the air to the government shutdown, the past few weeks alone have been filled with chaos. 

These are things we should be paying attention to: we can’t ignore censorship or Republican capitulation. But we can hold more than one thought in our head, and the legacy media has had its eyes off of Texas for far too long. At Democracy Docket, we have never looked away. 

I’m glad that I have this platform to speak out, and I’m proud that we now have the resources to dedicate the attention that stories like the redistricting hearings deserve.

Our country is in a precarious moment, and it deserves an independent press that is dedicated to pro-democracy coverage. At our core, that is who we are. 

It certainly wasn’t easy to build, but we are here. This was a team effort — and we couldn’t have done it without you. I’m proud that we have been able to create something that brings you this critical coverage. Everything we do is for you and for our democracy. So, as people look the other way, know that we will always stay focused.