Texas Congressional Map Proposal Adds New Districts in Houston and Austin

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Texas lawmakers on Monday released their first draft of a new congressional map for the next decade that includes two new districts in Austin and Houston – metropolitan areas with diverse populations that have fueled much of the country’s population growth ‘State over the past 10 years.

Republicans constructed this map with incumbent protection in mind – a strategy focused on bolstering Republican seats that Democrats have targeted over the past two election cycles rather than aggressively adding new seats that could turn from blue to red. However, the map actually bolsters the overall positioning of Republicans going from 22 to 25 ridings who voted for Donald Trump in 2020. The number of ridings that voted for Joe Biden would decrease by one, from 14 to 13.

Texas members of the House GOP delegation were closely involved in the design process and approved the map last week, according to two sources close to the Texas delegation.

While many cardholders appear safe on these cards, others have been drawn into overlapping districts – for example, the proposed card pits Houston Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw against Democratic Representative Sylvia Garcia. He also pits two Houston Democrats – Reps Al Green and Sheila Jackson Lee – against each other.

The cards were proposed by State Senator Joan Huffman, R-Houston, who heads the chamber redistribution committee.

Democrats, who have been in power for decades, have tried to make state elections more competitive, but the reshuffle of the cards in Congress gives the GOP an opportunity to maintain its advantage for another decade.

The current 36-seat Texas congressional delegation is made up of 23 Republicans and 13 Democrats. According to the new map, Texas will have 38 seats in Congress and 40 electoral votes in the upcoming presidential election.

Huffman’s first 38-district proposal would widen the party gap, creating 25 districts that voted for Trump in 2020 and 13 that voted for Biden.

The racial makeup of congressional cards is also expected to change, as Texas added two new congressional seats based on population growth over the past decade, mostly due to people of color. Based on eligible voters, the current map includes 22 districts with a white majority, eight with a majority Hispanic, one with a majority black, and five without a majority. The newly proposed map includes 23 districts with a majority white, seven with a majority Hispanic, none with a majority black, and eight without a majority.

This is only the first draft of the map, which is subject to change before it is passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott.

This will be the first political mapping round in Texas since the United States Supreme Court overturned provisions to protect voters of color from discrimination. Previously, states with a long history of electoral discrimination, such as Texas, had to receive federal approval before making changes to election laws or political maps.

But the Supreme Court essentially removed that requirement in 2013, leaving no buffer for voters of color if lawmakers passed discriminatory cards.

Since the enactment of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, Texas has not gone through a decade without a federal court reprimanding it for violating federal protections for voters of color.

Check back for more updates.

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