Tag Archives: redistricting

Precinct analysis: Comparing 2012 and 2008, Senate and SBOE edition

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

To follow up on my previous examination of how the 2012 election returns looked in State House districts compared to the 2008 returns, I now have the data to look at other types of districts as well. You can find … Continue reading →

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How should the San Antonio court proceed after SCOTUS rules on Section 5?

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what the San Antonio judges in the redistricting case asked the parties to help it figure out. In its order, the court told parties what has been widely assumed – namely that the panel would “not issue any opinion, … Continue reading →

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Committee time

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Now the real work gets started. House Speaker Joe Straus announced committee assignments for the Legislature’s lower chamber on Thursday, ending speculation over key chairmanships and giving lawmakers the go-ahead to start considering bills. Here’s his list. Of the standing … Continue reading →

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Looks like we’ll be waiting on SCOTUS for awhile

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: The Texas redistricting appeal wasn’t on the list of cases reviewed by the Justices at their screening conference today. With the passage of time – and the case not even being listed for review – the calendar now … Continue reading →

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A look ahead to the 2013 Lege

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib previews the biennial hijinks of the 2013 Texas Legislature. The last time Texas lawmakers convened in Austin, they were absorbed with numbers and boundaries: how to make ends meet with a deflated state budget and draw new district … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS has not taken up the Texas redistricting lawsuit yet

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: No decision announced [Friday at the Supreme Court about whether the court will hear the Texas redistricting case. The court, however, could issue additional orders on Monday. The Justices haven’t had these briefs for long, so it’s not … Continue reading →

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White Ds and non-white Rs

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A few points to make about this. White Democrats are an increasingly vanishing species in the Texas Legislature, where there will be only 10 when the new legislative session starts in early January. The face of the Legislature has undergone … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS voter ID update

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The matter is officially with the Supreme Court now. A federal court deferred further proceedings in a lawsuit filed by Texas over the state’s voter identification law until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on whether part of the Voting Rights … Continue reading →

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Where redistricting stands with SCOTUS

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: What happens now in the Supreme Court? With the filing of motions to affirm or dismiss last week by the Justice Department and intervenors, Texas’ appeal of the preclearance ruling is now ready for review by the … Continue reading →

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What will Doggett do?

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Does Rep. Lloyd Doggett want his old district back or not? The congressional and legislative districts used in this year’s elections were temporary maps drawn by panel of federal judges in San Antonio. The maps were designed to be used … Continue reading →

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Is there more redistricting for Texas in the cards?

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The short answer is it depends. For the most part, Republicans are content to keep the interim map used for the 2012 elections — if the courts allow it. “I don’t sense a lot of anxiousness from either the state … Continue reading →

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City wins Census recount

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official: The city of Houston really did have 2.1 million people as of the 2010 Census. The U.S. Census Bureau has adjusted the city’s 2010 population from 2,099,451 to 2,100,263. The difference is only 812 people, but it’s enough … Continue reading →

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Plaintiffs want to proceed with new redistricting maps

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: Plaintiff groups in the Texas redistricting litigation in San Antonio told the court that it should go ahead and start the process of drawing remedial state house and congressional maps for use in 2014, but disagreed slightly about … Continue reading →

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Parties split on waiting for SCOTUS

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: Lawyers for the Justice Department and intervenors in the Texas voter ID case told the court yesterday that the court should put off consideration of Texas’ claim that section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional until … Continue reading →

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We should expect boring Congressional races for the foreseeable future

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

That’s my takeaway after reading this. For Pete Sessions, election night ended with yet another resounding send-off to Washington. He won a ninth term, with 58 percent of the vote. But an analysis by The Dallas Morning News raises questions … Continue reading →

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Precinct data: County Commissioner precincts

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I wish they called County Commissioner precincts by some other name, because it’s confusing to refer to them as such when one is discussing canvass data, which is data from the thousand-plus voting precincts in Harris County. But that’s the … Continue reading →

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Shall we wait for SCOTUS?

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: The three-judge panel in San Antonio overseeing redrawing of Texas’ redistricting plans has signaled that it is at least considering the possibility of delaying action on new maps until the Supreme Court decides questions about the constitutionality of … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Obama v Obama

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

So as mentioned before I now have a draft canvass for Harris County. There’s a lot of data to go through, and I’ll probably publish most of what I find after the holiday. One thing I’d like to share for … Continue reading →

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Harris County redistricting lawsuit kicks off

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the lawsuit that was filed over the redistricting map for Harris County Commissioners Court? It’s been on hold since the beginning of the year, after an interim map was drawn to get us through this election and since the … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS to review Section 5

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Gird your loins. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge brought by Shelby County, Alabama to the continued constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. In its order taking the case, the high court limited the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Perez in HD144

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron finally makes an endorsement in the other open legislative seat, HD144. For this open seat, we recommend the Democrat, Mary Ann Perez, whose professional skills and experience in another contentious political arena would serve her and the district … Continue reading →

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Lampson-mentum

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I always thought that with Nick Lampson in the race, CD14 would be competitive. Looks like national perception is catching up to that belief. Texas Republicans are ringing the alarm over a House race that had seemed a safe bet … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Martin and Sullivan

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron can’t quite believe that Steve Stockman is on the verge of being foisted on us again as a member of Congress, so they do what they can by endorsing his opponent, Max Martin. Max Martin is a credible, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Lampson and Gallego

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned on Monday that the Chron had endorsed Nick Lampson for CD14. Yesterday, they wrote the endorsement editorial for him. Lampson, a native of Beaumont, first came to Congress in 1996 and served four terms from the Golden Triangle … Continue reading →

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Texas appeals DC Court redistricting decision

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was inevitable. Texas is appealing a federal court decision that denied preclearance to legislatively drawn redistricting maps, saying the court overstepped its authority under the federal Voting Rights Act, Attorney General Greg Abbott announced late Friday. That … Continue reading →

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Another reason why math is your friend

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman asks the question whether the newly-drawn HD48 in Travis County might be easier for a Republican challenger to win, then never gets around to providing the simplest answer to that question. Starting in April and carrying on through … Continue reading →

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Austin’s choices for Council districts

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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A question of how many

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, Democrats will pick up seats in the Lege this election. The question is how many seats. Texas political experts expect Democrats will gain at least seven House seats. “If the Democrats don’t get to 55 seats or more, the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Boring

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron expends more words on the history and function of Commissioners Court than it does endorsing the three incumbents running to stay on the Court. Precinct 1: Veteran incumbent El Franco Lee is our choice over an energetic Republican … Continue reading →

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Canseco’s poll response

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Quico Canseco has released his own poll in CD23. New polling data released by Rep. Francisco “Quico” Canseco’s campaign shows the freshman congressman with a 10-point lead on his Democratic challenger, Pete Gallego. The new poll is radically different … Continue reading →

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Another reason to vote early

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Your Election Day polling location may not be what you’re used to. Recent redistricting will force about 20 percent of Harris County voters to cast ballots at new polling locations on Election Day, County Clerk Stan Stanart said Monday. That … Continue reading →

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A national view on redistricting

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Atlantic has an interesting view of the redistricting process. Every 10 years, after U.S. census workers have fanned out across the nation, a snowy-haired gentle­man by the name of Tom Hofeller takes up anew his quest to destroy Democrats. … Continue reading →

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If you knew Paul Sadler

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

If you knew Paul Sadler, you’d probably think he was an experienced, well-qualified candidate for the US Senate. And you’d be right. Unfortunately, not enough people know Paul Sadler well enough to know this. In 2002, state Rep. Paul Sadler … Continue reading →

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Interview with Vy Nguyen

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Fort Bend County is one of the most diverse places in America, with roughly equal shares of Anglo, African-American, Hispanic, and Asian populations. It’s fast-growing, now with three full State Rep. districts and a part of a fourth, and becoming … Continue reading →

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