Speaking of Ardmore! It looks like the US Supreme Court is going to review the Texas redistricting mess.
The Supreme Court said today that it would consider the constitutionality of a Texas congressional map engineered by Rep. Tom DeLay that helped Republicans gain seats in Congress.
The 2003 boundaries helped Republicans win 21 of the state's 32 seats in Congress in the last election- up from 15. They were approved amid a nasty battle between Republican leaders and Democrats and minority groups in Texas.
Read the rest of the AP story.
The New York Times story is also a good read.
Dec 12, 2005
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Speaking to the specifics of the "evil" 2003 map, Texas now has 3 districts where African American voters control the outcome every time, which is roughly proportional to the percentage of African Americans in the state. The modified Martin Frost map which Texas was under for the 2002 elections only had two. I don’t believe any other state in the country achieves that level of proportionality, but I’m not entirely sure on that one. I do know that no state does better on that point.
Also, Texas increased the number of performing Hispanic districts by at least one in the 2003 map (Two, if you count Gene Green’s. His district's Hispanic ratio went up to where it could probably be considered a performing Hispanic district if it wasn’t before - an arguable point). Doggett’s new district (CD 25) is performing by every measure. Remember, performance is a measure of the voters’ desires, not the color of the Congressman, and the Hispanic voters in that district voted for him in the primary and in the general.
In addition, no one but lawyers for white Democrat incumbents has ever said that “coalition” districts are in any way protected - certainly no court. If they had been protected, ALL Democrat districts except Stenholm’s would have been protected simply because they are Democrat districts. That’s ludicrous on it’s face.
I would need to study the numbers, but I believe there are now more Anglos in performing Hispanic districts, than Hispanics in majority Anglo districts.
Finally, we live in a democracy. Staff (even DoJ voting rights section staff) do not make decisions; they make recommendations. There was never any intention to “insulate” Section 5 decisions from political appointees who are to represent the wishes of those whom the people have elected. If you disagree with those decisions, publicize the “evil” nature of them and elect those who will not make them.
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