Tag Archives: single member districts

Getting out the “hard-to-motivate Latino vote” in Farmers Branch

Great story about Ana Reyes, the first Hispanic person elected to City Council in Farmers Branch, in the first election after a lawsuit forced the city to adopt single-member Council districts, and how she actually got elected. “What happened here … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“One person, one vote” upheld

More accurately, a challenge to the constitutional doctrine of “one person, one vote” was dismissed by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has rejected a conservative challenge to the common practice of counting everyone, not just U.S. citizens, when adjusting … Continue reading

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

Single member districts for Farmers Branch

Another long battle comes to an end. A Dallas federal judge has directed Farmers Branch to implement single-member City Council districts after the U.S. Justice Department signed off on the city’s proposed map. The move could set the stage for … Continue reading

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

First pass at analyzing the 2012 results

This is kind of a brain dump, based on the information available now. I’ll have plenty more to say once precinct data has been released. – The current tally in the Presidential race on the Secretary of State webpage, with … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Austin’s choices for Council districts

The Statesman has a look at the choices Austin voters have for how to redesign their City Council from an all-At Large system to one with Council districts. In the debate over whether to change the City Council from citywide … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Single member Council district dispute in Boerne

I’ve noted several stories about single member Council districts in various Texas cities over the years. They often involve litigation, so these battles can have implications beyond the borders of the locality in question, but I just find the questions … Continue reading

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Austin will get its vote on district Council seats

You Austin folks won’t get to vote for Council members next November, but you will get to vote for what kind of Council members you have. The council approved Thursday a resolution that calls for a district proposal to go … Continue reading

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Austin presents a single-member Council map

The city of Austin has released the first maps of a proposed six-district City Council, which Mayor Lee Leffingwell would like to put on the ballot next year for public approval. The City of Austin has for decades operated under … Continue reading

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District representation in Austin

I have to admit, it hadn’t occurred to me that there were any large cities in Texas that didn’t have City Council districts, but Austin is such a place, at least for now. Mayor Lee Leffingwell will soon propose sweeping … Continue reading

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Another lawsuit against Farmers Branch over City Council districts

Trying again to force the city of Farmers Branch to create single member City Council districts. The suit seeks an end at-large voting for City Council seats, arguing that the current method dilutes Hispanic voting strength. Nearly half the city … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Three more election tidbits

Tidbit #1: The city of Irving had its first election with its court-ordered single member Council districts. Voters ousted one sitting council member and sent another into a runoff election. They also put two minorities on what has been an … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Farmers Branch single member Council district lawsuit appealed to SCOTUS

A lawsuit on behalf of three Hispanic plaintiffs in Farmers Branch to force the creation of single-member City Council districts, which was filed last April and dismissed in November, will be appealed to the Supreme Court after the Fifth Circuit … Continue reading

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Irving proposes district council lines

Greg shows a map of the proposed new district City Council lines in Irving, which as this DMN story notes would likely unseat two current Council members and might have an effect on HD105 next year. I keep following this … Continue reading

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Irving to appeal ruling in single-member districts lawsuit

No surprise. The Irving City Council plans to appeal last week’s federal court ruling that ordered the city to create single-member council districts before holding any more City Council elections. Mayor Herbert Gears said the city will also request that … Continue reading

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Irving ordered to switch to single-member Council districts

A federal judge has ordered the city of Irving, Texas, to switch to single-member City Council districts because their current at-large system was in violation of the Voting Rights Act. U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis issued the ruling Tuesday in … Continue reading

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