A GOP power grab shatters 30 years of political progress for Black voters in Galveston County
Republicans dismantled the only Galveston County commissioners precinct in which voters of color held political clout. It’s a major blow for Black and Hispanic voters who had been building political momentum.
District 2 councilman wants his half of ‘Brack’ back in redistricting plan
Brackenridge Park is currently split between District 1 and District 2 along East Mulberry Avenue, but the proposed map would place it entirely within District 1 by removing the only two precincts in the district that are fully to the west of Broadway Avenue.
Analysis: Gerrymandering has left Texas voters with few options
Texans who don’t vote in primaries and primary runoffs are missing a chance to choose who goes to Congress and the Texas Legislature. Thanks to the political maps drawn by lawmakers last year, only a handful of those contests will be competitive in November.
“Unwinnable race”: State Sen. Beverly Powell of Burleson ends reelection bid, citing redrawn political map
Powell, a Democrat, had won Senate District 10 by winning over a coalition of diverse voters in Tarrant County. The GOP redrew the district to branch out to counties to the south and west that made it more rural and more white.
Texas is quietly using redistricting lawsuits to launch a broader war against federal voting rights law
As Texas defends against accusations that its new political maps are discriminatory, it’s laying the groundwork to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out longstanding Voting Rights Act protections.
Federal judges won’t halt Texas primary in state Senate district being challenged for alleged discrimination
The redrawn state Senate District 10 splits Black and Hispanic voters in Tarrant County. A full trial on whether GOP lawmakers intentionally discriminated against voters of color is expected later this year.
Texas violated voting rights law during redistricting, retiring state GOP senator says in sworn court statement
A three-judge federal panel is hearing arguments in a lawsuit claiming that Texas Republicans violated the Voting Rights Act when they redrew state Senate District 10 in Tarrant County to lessen Black and Hispanic voting power.
Analysis: A Texas election in the shade of government’s third branch
Challenges to new Texas laws on voting, political districts and abortion are all pending in court, as is the state’s challenge to federal vaccine mandates. But until the courts rule, those laws remain in place — and they provide political fodder for the incumbents who support them.
New Braunfels City Council gives initial thumbs up to new district map; Second reading set for Monday
New Braunfels City Council members on Wednesday gave initial approval to a map reconfiguring the six single-member districts for city council representation in response to data from the 2020 Census
herald-zeitung.comNew Braunfels redistricting maps on agenda for public hearing and discussion
The city of New Braunfels will continue its redistricting process this week to reconfigure the six single-member districts for city council representation, with council members reviewing draft maps and population-demographic
herald-zeitung.comOpportunity was snatched away from Dallas County Latino communities when Texas Republicans redrew congressional maps
Dallas-area Latinos hoped their growing numbers would finally translate into political clout this year through the creation of a new congressional district anchored by their communities. Instead, their neighborhoods were splintered between numerous white-majority districts.
Congressional gerrymandering by Texas Republicans cut out the heart of Houston’s Asian community
Asian and Pacific Islander populations surged in Texas over the past decade, but their political power is weakened under new congressional maps. A northwest Houston neighborhood offers a case study in how that was done.
State Rep. Alex Dominguez will run to replace retiring state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. in high-stakes Democratic primary
Lucio is retiring from the Rio Grande Valley seat, and Dominguez wants to continue his legacy of focusing on education in the region. But he suggested he would take a different approach to at least a couple issues, including abortion.
Bexar County commissioner fears new precinct boundaries could bring new opponent
A seemingly routine county redistricting process turned contentious as Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert accused Precinct 1 Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores of possibly putting a political opponent into his district. Calvert is up for re-election in the March 2022 primary.
Analysis: Early signs point to another Republican-dominated election cycle in Texas
Republican incumbents enter their reelection campaigns well ahead of their Republican challengers and with most voters unacquainted with the Democratic challengers in the field, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
Democratic state Reps. Claudia Ordaz Perez and Art Fierro will vie for the same El Paso House seat due to redistricting
Ordaz Perez announced she will challenge Fierro after new political maps forced her to run against another incumbent if she wanted to seek a new term. Democrats have criticized the GOP-drawn House map for diluting the El Paso area's representation.
In fast-growing Central Texas, redistricting sparks political reshuffling in upcoming statehouse and congressional races
The fast-growing region likely will see a considerable number of new state and federal lawmakers after the 2022 election. And in many cases, they will be representing districts whose boundaries have significantly shifted.
Republicans say Texas’ new political maps are “race blind.” To some voters of color, that translates as political invisibility.
With partisan fervor, Republicans drew new maps for Congress and the Legislature that dilute the power of voters of color. Now the lawsuits begin, as groups that feel marginalized battle for representation in the halls of power.
With surgical precision, Republicans draw two congressional districts that dilute power of Hispanic and Asian voters
The GOP is losing its hold on suburbs of Dallas and Fort Worth as they grow more diverse. Two new districts show how far the party is reaching to entrench rural, white electoral power.
Texas House passes proposed new map for chamber’s 150 districts, aiming to protect Republicans’ majority for the next decade
Members considered more than 50 amendments to the proposed map during debate that began Tuesday and ended early Wednesday. Some of the biggest changes focused on Dallas and Harris counties.