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Map of Texas Congressional District 2.
A Texas Senate committee on Friday heard public testimony from Houston residents who urged lawmakers to eliminate partisan gerrymandering when drawing district maps this legislative session.
Invited speakers were joined by members of the public to testify at a Texas Senate Committee for Redistricting hearing about the impacts of current district lines in the area. The committee on Friday focused on maps encompassing the city of Houston and surrounding areas.
Houston lawyer Emily Eby with the Texas Civil Rights Project testified via Zoom, and displayed a map of her community as a virtual background to show the effects of gerrymandering on her family.
The state is expected to receive three new U.S. House seats. But those looking to expand the GOP majority in the congressional delegation won’t have an easy task.
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As Texas lawmakers prepare to redraw political district maps with new census population data, some community leaders of the Rio Grande Valley fear they will get the short end of the stick.
During a Texas Senate redistricting committee hearing on Tuesday, Valley officials raised concerns about the possibility that the region, already deemed underserved, will lose out on resources because of undercounting in the 2020 census.
The census, a count of people living in the U.S. completed every decade, is used to determine government funding and congressional seats. It also serves as the basis for federal, state and local political districts, State Demographer Lloyd Potter explained at the hearing, which focused on the Rio Grande Valley.
By Rich Flowers
rflowers@athensreview.com Feb 2, 2021 courtesy photo
East Texans who spoke at a public hearing of the Special Senate Committee on Redistricting Friday, Jan. 29, each called for a fair drawing of lines and an end to gerrymandering.
The region which includes the urban Harris County area as well as the less densely populated Piney Woods contains several senate districts. Robert Nichols, who represents Senate District 3 was present at the meeting.
Former Palestine Mayor Carolyn Salter, who also ran for the U.S. House as a Democrat, wants to see the demographics distributed more fairly.
âMy statement before this committee today is that Texas move toward an impartial, transparent, bipartisan redistricting process,â Salter said.