Soon, the redistricting committees of the Texas Legislature will begin the process of redrawing Texas’ state and federal electoral district boundaries. The maps the Legislature ultimately approves will color state and national public policy decisions for the next decade.
Redistricting is the process of redrawing district boundaries following a census, to ensure every elected official in each legislative chamber represents about the same number of constituents.
Constitutionally this power to draw boundaries is vested in the power of the legislative branch. The Texas Comptroller’s Office offers a helpful redistricting primer, which explains that all legislative, congressional, and state board of education districts must meet two basic criteria in federal law: equal or near-equal populations, and preservation of the right to vote regardless of race or language.
Historically, redistricting has been used to provide an electoral advantage to the majority party in the legislative branch. Over the past half-century, the 1965 Voting Rights Act required Texas and other southern states to “preclear” their redistricting maps with the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure they did not discriminate based on race. That changed with the Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder which removed the preclearance requirement. Thus, 2021 will be the first redistricting cycle in which southern states will not have to preclear their redistricting maps.
There’s always a lot at stake in redistricting, and Texas plays a major role on the national stage.
As a rapidly growing state, Texas stands to gain two congressional seats in this redistricting cycle. At the same time, continued population shifts toward urban areas mean some state legislative districts will be reconfigured significantly. In addition to getting larger, Texas’ population also is increasingly diverse; it will be vital that lawmakers resist partisan gerrymandering in favor of preserving the voting of Texas’ diverse constituencies.
In Texas, the stakes are high for voting rights and democracy. The process favors Republicans, who maintained control of the legislative branch during the 2020 elections. Redistricting maps go through the same legislative process as other bills, and constituents have opportunities to weigh in. To equip you to participate, Texas Impact is holding a special Redistricting 101 webinar on Tuesday, September 21, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. Register here to receive the Zoom link. The webinar features redistricting experts Bonnie Bruce and Genevieve Van Cleve, who is featured in Third Way’s panel discussion earlier this summer. For ready reference, we’re fans of the League of Women Voters’ 10 Things You Should Know About Redistricting.
Texas Impact is taking the fight to those that would stifle your vote with direct action and community advocacy.
This month, Texas Impact joined with MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law and other plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the State of Texas over the voter suppression bill passed during the Second Called Session of the 87th Legislature this summer. The new law will create massive confusion for voters, compounding the confusion many would face over changing district lines and new relationships.