Court: Texas Political Maps Don't Protect Minority Vote

[CosmicCowboy]

I question whether gerrymandering is against the civil rights act. No one denies anyone the right to vote.

[TeyshaBlue]

Fair enough. White Democrats probably re-drew districts to limit brown people's voting power as well, I would be more than willing to accede this possibility.

Illegal then, and illegal now.

Now get any Republican on this board to admit their party might have done something that limits minority voting power in a way that is obviously against the Civil Rights Act.

Now that we have established it was illegal in the past, can we agree it is illegal now?

Not a legal scholar, but by all appearances, I'm in.

[Yonivore]

Fair enough. White Democrats probably re-drew districts to limit brown people's voting power as well, I would be more than willing to accede this possibility.

Illegal then, and illegal now.

Now get any Republican on this board to admit their party might have done something that limits minority voting power in a way that is obviously against the Civil Rights Act.

Now that we have established it was illegal in the past, can we agree it is illegal now?

I haven't been following the re-districting case that closely but, I thought it had it's genesis in Lloyd Dogget's district being gerrymandered into a largely Republican area and a Democrat candidate from San Antonio getting a finger into Southern Travis County, not to limit minority voting power.

I could be wrong -- there could have been other issues but, I remember that being a big deal for Democrats back with the original district lines were challenged.

Here's an article, grabbed at random, from the interwebs...

Redistricting map targets Doggett, splits Travis into five districts

Travis County would be split into five congressional districts, up from three, under a redistricting map proposed this morning by the leaders of the Texas House and Senate Redistricting committees.
The map is clearly designed to leave Travis County represented by four Republicans (one from Austin) and one Democrat from San Antonio.

Northeastern Travis County would go into the seat held by U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Bryan. Southeastern Travis County would be in an open seat that extends to San Antonio.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, would be drawn into a Republican seat that goes out toward the Hill Country.

U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, would continue to have part of Austin. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, would continue to have a seat that extends eastward toward the Houston area.

[coyotes_geek]

Fair enough. White Democrats probably re-drew districts to limit brown people's voting power as well, I would be more than willing to accede this possibility.

Illegal then, and illegal now.

Now get any Republican on this board to admit their party might have done something that limits minority voting power in a way that is obviously against the Civil Rights Act.

Now that we have established it was illegal in the past, can we agree it is illegal now?

Not a republican, but I agree.

I haven't been following the re-districting case that closely but, I thought it had it's genesis in Lloyd Dogget's district being gerrymandered into a largely Republican area and a Democrat candidate from San Antonio getting a finger into Southern Travis County, not to limit minority voting power.

I could be wrong -- there could have been other issues but, I remember that being a big deal for Democrats back with the original district lines were challenged.

As I understand it the legal beef isn't about how republicans gerrymandered Doggett out of his old district (although they definitely did do that), it's about how they crafted a new district for Doggett where white democrats from Austin would overpower hispanic democrats from San Antonio.

[Winehole23]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/104210184/Texas-Voter-ID

[coyotes_geek]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/104210184/Texas-Voter-ID

I tried reading through that. Now my head hurts.

[Yonivore]

Not a republican, but I agree.



As I understand it the legal beef isn't about how republicans gerrymandered Doggett out of his old district (although they definitely did do that), it's about how they crafted a new district for Doggett where white democrats from Austin would overpower hispanic democrats from San Antonio.

I thought it was two separate districts. I don't believe a Travis County district extended to San Antonio before.

I think they shifted Doggett into a district that extended West, into the more affluent parts of Travis County while extending the leftover portions of his old district into another district extending from San Antonio.

[coyotes_geek]

I thought it was two separate districts. I don't believe a Travis County district extended to San Antonio before.

I think they shifted Doggett into a district that extended West, into the more affluent parts of Travis County while extending the leftover portions of his old district into another district extending from San Antonio.

That's how they redrew Doggett's old district, but he moved so that he could run in the new one that ran from Austin down to SA.

[Yonivore]

That's how they redrew Doggett's old district, but he moved so that he could run in the new one that ran from Austin down to SA.

Wasn't the new District mostly minority?

[coyotes_geek]

Wasn't the new District mostly minority?

Don't think so, but not sure about that.