Tag Archives: redistricting

SCOTx hearing on state redistricting lawsuits

The state lawsuits over the “county line rule” in Cameron County and the Eckhardt/Gutierrez “decennial redistricting only in a regular session” contention had a hearing before the State Supreme Court over whether these suits can be heard in state district … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SCOTx hearing on state redistricting lawsuits

Precinct analysis: The new Senate map

Previously: New State House map, New Congressional map, new SBOE map. The good news is that all 31 Senate seats will be on the ballot this year, as it is a post-redistricting year. The bad news is that the only … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Precinct analysis: The new Senate map

Of course the Census undercounted people of color

This was the Trump administration’s goal from the beginning. The 2020 census continued a longstanding trend of undercounting Black people, Latinos and Native Americans, while overcounting people who identified as white and not Latino, according to estimates from a report the U.S. … Continue reading

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Of course the Census undercounted people of color

The only constant is change

This DMN story is about the wave of changes to the various legislative caucuses in North Dallas, but if you pull the lens back just a little, you can see how universal it is. Proponents of term limits complain that … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The only constant is change

HCC special election set

All you need to know. On Saturday, May 7, 2022, Houston Community College System (“HCC”) will hold a special election to fill a vacancy in the HCC Board of Trustee position for geographic district II for the unexpired term through … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

January 2022 campaign finance reports: Congress

The filing deadline has passed, the primary lineups are set, and we have a new set of races and candidates to review. As was the case in the past two cycles, I’ll follow the contested primaries as well as the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

No restraining order in SD10 lawsuit

The March primary will officially proceed as scheduled. A federal three-judge panel in El Paso on Tuesday denied a request by Tarrant County residents to block a reconfigured state Senate district from being used in the upcoming March primary election … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The SD10 redistricting lawsuit gets off to a rousing start

I did not see this coming. In a sworn declaration submitted as part of an ongoing federal court challenge, a senior Republican state senator with redistricting experience said he believes his party violated federal voting laws when it drew new … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Is it time to ditch At Large seats on Houston City Council?

Here’s one argument for it. The lack of Latinos on the City Council undermines the legitimacy of Houston’s government, experts say, and is something that a prominent Hispanic organization is pushing to change with a lawsuit and ballot proposition. The … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

SD10 lawsuit gets its hearing

The last possible obstacle to a March primary, and the first redistricting lawsuit to get a merits hearing. A federal district judge in El Paso on Tuesday will preside over one of several challenges against the state of Texas and … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Supreme Court to hear whether state redistricting lawsuit can proceed

Here’s the update I’ve been waiting for. Not what I was hoping for, but it is what it is. The state’s bid to toss a legal challenge arguing last year’s GOP-led redistricting effort violated the Texas Constitution is headed to … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“Unprecedented” meddling in the Census

They weren’t subtle about it. A newly disclosed memorandum citing “unprecedented” meddling by the Trump administration in the 2020 census and circulated among top Census Bureau officials indicates how strongly they sought to resist efforts by the administration to manipulate … Continue reading

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

On primarying the quorum breakers

Of interest. Working Families Party, a political party and relative newcomer to Texas politics that backs Democrats aligned with their platform, aims to spend in the ballpark of half a million dollars this cycle, WFP Texas Co-director Pedro Lira told … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on On primarying the quorum breakers

Supreme Court rejects mandamus over Commissioners Court redistricting

The primary will proceed as scheduled, but the issue could be revisited sometime after the 2022 election. The Texas Supreme Court rejected an effort by Republican commissioners and voters to block Harris County’s recent redistricting plan on Friday, suggesting another … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Supreme Court rejects mandamus over Commissioners Court redistricting

Another lawsuit filed over Commissioners Court redistricting

What a bunch of crybabies. A former county commissioner is suing Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, claiming Hidalgo and the county violated state law when they met to approve redistricting maps. Former Commissioner Steve Radack argues the commissioners violated the … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What does “race blind” redistricting even mean?

Good question. In states like Texas and North Carolina, Republican lawmakers in charge of redrawing the political maps for the next decade say that the new plans are “race blind.” Their opponents in court say that the claim is implausible and one … Continue reading

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Still no Metro redistricting

Check again in 2031. Growth in western Harris County outside Houston’s boundaries was not enough to tip Metro’s board to 11 members during the 2020 Census, transit officials said “It didn’t occur, so we have the same board composition,” said … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

An early look at the primary for Commissioners Court, Precinct 4

I have a few thoughts about this. With a new Harris County precinct map in place, Democrats may have their best chance in a dozen years of capturing Precinct 4. That’s set up a fierce, three-way contest in the Democratic … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on An early look at the primary for Commissioners Court, Precinct 4

Lawsuit over Harris County Commissioners Court redistricting tossed

Missed this over the holidays. A Harris County Judge on Wednesday tossed a lawsuit from Republican commissioners and voters over new county maps that favor Democrats. Judge Dedra Davis ruled in favor of Harris County, finding that Republican commissioners Jack … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The state of the state redistricting lawsuits

A good update, and a reminder that not all of the action is in federal court. In two cases heard [December 14 and 15], a group of mostly Democratic, Hispanic lawmakers from both chambers challenged the legality of when and … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The “prison gerrymandering” lawsuit

Of the many lawsuits filed so far over Texas redistricting, this is the one I know the least about. Nearly a quarter of a million people were incarcerated in Texas when the Census was taken last year. When lawmakers redrew … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Precinct analysis: The new SBOE map

Previously: New State House map, New Congressional map I probably care more about the SBOE than most normal people do. It’s not that powerful an entity, there are only 15 seats on it, and their elections go largely under the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Precinct analysis: The new SBOE map

Rep. Martinez-Fischer sues over CD35

One more federal redistricting lawsuit to add to the pile. Texas State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer filed a lawsuit today challenging boundaries of the recently redrawn U.S. House District 35. In the lawsuit, Fischer claims that the redrawn map violates … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Lege will get worse before it gets better

I have three things to say about this. More than two dozen members of the Texas Legislature are retiring or running for a different seat next year, creating a slew of vacancies that could push both chambers to become redder … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Lege will get worse before it gets better

Filing update: More candidates than you can count

This headline and first paragraph are short by a couple of candidates. A dozen potential challengers to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo were among the scores who filed ahead of Monday’s deadline to run for county offices next year. […] … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The filings I’m still looking for

Today is Filing Deadline Day. By the end of today, we’ll know who is and isn’t running for what. While we wait for that, let’s review the filings that have not yet happened, to see what mysteries may remain. Congress: … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Justice Department sues Texas over redistricting maps

Add it to the queue. The Department of Justice is suing Texas over its new redistricting maps, alleging that lawmakers intentionally discriminated against Latino and Black voters while redrawing the state’s political districts this year. The lawsuit, filed in federal … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Justice Department sues Texas over redistricting maps

A brief filing update

Just a few observations as we head out of the holiday season and into what I expect will be the busier part of the filing period. I’m using the Patrick Svitek spreadsheet, the SOS candidate filing resource, and the candidate … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cracking Asian-American communities

The Trib explores what the new Congressional maps did to Asian-American communities, mostly but not exclusively in the Houston area. When Texas lawmakers redrew congressional maps following the 2020 census, they split up Asian American populations in both Harris and … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Redistricting litigation update

Reform Austin shows that the state’s legal defense strategy against the various redistricting lawsuits is “You can’t sue us!” Because of the clear racial gerrymandering, multiple groups are launching legal challenges under the Voting Rights Act. The state has now … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Galveston adopts all-white Commissioners Court map

In case you missed it. Dozens of residents crowded into a small county annex building Friday afternoon to urge, beg, lecture and warn commissioners against approving new precinct maps that dissenters called unfair, undemocratic and potentially illegal. The protest, mostly … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Precinct analysis: The new Congressional map

Previously: New State House map We will now take a look at how the districts of interest in the new Congressional map have changed over the past decade. Same basic idea, looking at the closer districts from 2020 to see … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rep. Alex Dominguez to run for SD27

Another contender for Eddie Lucio’s soon-to-be-former seat. State Rep. Alex Dominguez is running for Texas Senate, hoping to succeed retiring Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., a fellow Brownsville Democrat, in a race filled with implications for Texas Democrats and the Rio … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

ACLU and others sue over new redistricting maps

The count is now seven. Civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging new Texas state legislative and congressional district plans as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders violating both the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution. The suit details an … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments