Texas Senate drops first redistribution card, scandalizing Democrat

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The Texas State Senate kicked off the 10-year redistribution process on Saturday by releasing the first draft of its own members’ district maps.

The Texas Legislature meets for a special 30-day session on Monday to redraw political maps based on the latest census data, which showed people of color have fueled 95% of Texas’ population growth. over the past decade.

The Legislative Assembly is responsible for setting new boundaries for the House and Senate districts in addition to redrawing new district maps for the state congressional seats and for the State Board of Education. .

All four cards will ultimately need to be approved by the House and Senate and signed by Governor Greg Abbott. After being debated, amended, adopted and signed, the lawsuits – some of which have already been filed, will result in redistribution in the courts, possibly resulting in more changes ahead of the 2022 election.

State Senator Beverly Powell, D-Burleson, immediately called for fault on the first draft of the map, written by Senator Joan Huffman, R-Houston, who chairs the Senate Redistribution Committee.

“The proposed card for the State Senate is a direct attack on the voting rights of minority citizens in Senate District 10 and, if passed, it would be an act of intentional discrimination,” she said. in a press release. “The 2020 census found that the population of Senate District 10 is near ideal. District lines do not need to be changed. Moreover, since 2010, the percentage of the minority population in the district has increased significantly while the percentage of Anglo has fallen. The changes now proposed are aimed at silencing and destroying the established and growing voting strength of minority voters in Tarrant County. “

The District of Powell is currently contained within Tarrant County, which voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, but the new version of District 10 reaches the more conservative counties of Parker and Johnson.

This is the first time in decades that federal law has allowed Texas to draw and use political maps without first obtaining the required federal approval to ensure that they do not take away people’s voting rights. colored. This federal preclearance requirement in the Voting Rights Act was gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013.

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.

“The release of the proposed map is only the beginning of the fight. I am proud to be the candidate of choice for the minority citizens of Senate District 10 and I will do everything in my power to stop this direct, discriminatory and illegal attack on their voting rights, ”said Powell.

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