Let the gerrymandering commence.

[devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com]

Because state lawmakers control the once-a-decade redrawing of congressional maps in most states, that puts Republicans in a position to decide the boundaries of about 194 House districts, more than double the number they controlled last cycle. Instead of popping the champagne corks, though, some GOP leaders are warning about the perils of too much cartographical authority.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/republican-redistricting-plans-hold-risks-20101221

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When the census results come out today, Texas will probably get at least three new Congressional seats, maybe four. Texas Republicans control both houses of the state legislature and the governorship, but Texas has nothing in its constitution or statutes about congressional redistricting, which means it must comply with the Voting Rights Act's mandate to ensure minorities will have representation.

Tom DeLay engineered the last redistricting in the state. Tom has other issues he's dealing with currently (hoping his prospective roommate isn't named "Mongo").

Redistricting is inherently political, but the census is going to make it hard for Republican redistricting officials to create more GOP districts without unbalancing their incumbents' voter base. The state GOP is stressing the importance of equal population in each district, while Democratic leaders will push to make sure the new influx of hispanic voters get their own districts in the Rio Grande valley and Dallas areas.

How important do you think "minority districts" are, and do you believe the Republican Party will revive their defunct 'outreach program' to attract hispanic voters for 2012?

Comments

[rasilio.livejournal.com]

Redistricting should be removed from the politicians hands and be handled entirely as part of the census.

Create a computer program that requires each district to minimize the ratio of it's perimeter to area and have equal population, no attention to any demographic factors beyond total population within the district is allowed.

[nevermind6794.livejournal.com]

I don't think "minority districts" are inherently important, but I think districts with more or less contiguous cultures and interests are.

The Rio Grande Valley (which I've mentioned before I am from) in south Texas is by all measures one such district/region. It is geographically isolated and culturally contiguous, yet for some reason was divided into four separate districts each stretching ~300 miles to Austin. That experience is what I base my thoughts on.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

This is really something of Bush's Administration the GOP now should have kept on doing. Bush *was* reaching out to Latinos and doing a fair job of it, using Theocratic politics as the inroad there. But now the GOP is deliberately alienating the largest-growing chunk of the electorate, which means bar Juan Crow they're following self-defeating political tactics in the long term.

[a-new-machine.livejournal.com]

No joke: My Admin Law exam this year was about Tom DeLay's prospective roommate (who was appealing the administrative decision to place him with such a terrible dancer).

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Didn't the Roberts court rule against the drawing of some districts in Texas a few years ago, or get close to ruling against them? I know Robert's questioning seemed to give some observers the impression he doesn't like DOJ ordering districts to be remapped to enhance minority voters.

[devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKnmkzfOqbw&feature=player_embedded#!

[reality-hammer.livejournal.com]

The problem with minority majority districts is that it presumes that all minorities think/vote the same way (Democrat) and uses a trait that has nothing to do with voting as the primary means of identification of voters.