As you may have heard, both the House and Senate will redistrict once again this legislative session. This is, in part, due to their interpretation of the state constitution that says redistricting must occur in a regular, legislative session. (Our current district maps were adopted during a special session due to the delay of the census data.) Both the House and the Senate have chosen to "ratify" the exact same district map that was passed last session, and they plan to hold committee hearings for the maps just like they do for any other piece of legislation.
While both the House and Senate have signaled that they do not plan to make any changes to the maps, we still have an opportunity to build out the legislative record. There is no doubt that the current district maps are significantly gerrymandered. Communities of color have either been "packed" into as few districts as possible with the goal of making the surrounding districts less competitive, or they have been "cracked" amongst several districts, mixing urban/suburban areas with far off places that have vastly different needs. One thing is clear, though, the resulting map has left many Texans feeling as though they do not have a voice representing them at the Capitol.
We encourage everyone to take a look at the bills that your Representative and Senator have filed this session to see if they are working on issues that are important to you and your community. Please consider providing testimony if you feel your community's needs are unmet or your state senator does not adequately represent your community preferences.
The Senate Redistricting Committee will be holding a hearing on their map proposal this Thursday, March 16th, at 9 am. Unfortunately, virtual testimony will not be allowed; however, you will be allowed to submit written comments through the committee's portal.
Here are some questions to help you prepare your testimony:
- Did the new map impact your community’s ability to elect a candidate of choice for the state senate?
- Did you have the opportunity to vote for someone who reflects, lives in, or would be responsive to your community?
- Does your district join your community with communities located in far-off places with very different needs and interests?
- Do the policy issues that your state senator is working on reflect the needs of your community? Is your state senator working on or supporting issues that harm your community?
- Does your community have long-standing issues that seem to be overlooked by the state senate or legislature session after session? What are some of those issues?
- Do your current state senator meaningfully respond to your communication when you raise issues? Has your state senator attended any community events in your area?
- Are there any new problems pertaining to discrimination that you have faced (or your large community), whether in elections or some other policy area like housing, transportation, education, healthcare, or the environment?