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TEXAS REDISTRICTING

Updates and News about the 2011 Redistricting Cycle in the Lone Star State. This website's goal is to try to make sure the redistricting process is as transparent and accessible as possible to the public. Hopefully, it will be of some use to a broad range of interested parties, both lawyers and non-lawyers. Have questions, comments, suggestions, additional content, or a redistricting joke (or two)? Feel free to contact me: Michael Li michael.li@mlilaw.com 214.821.8473. You also can follow me on Twitter: @mcpli

Texas GOP chair’s take on the state of play

Steve Munisteri, chair of the Republican Party of Texas, offered his take on the lay of the landin an update Monday to party members.

Munisteri held out hope that an April 17 primary date still might be workable if interim maps can be done by February 20 - even absent an agreement.

Munisteri also told party members that the party would push for another round of redistricting in 2013 if it is not happy with the final maps:

Whenever the maps are final, if they do not accomplish all the Republican Party of Texas’ goals of a fair map which meets the law representative of a strong Republican majority, then the State Party plans to move forward on its previously announced plan of action. That plan of action calls for all of our candidates to the Texas House and State Senate to pledge to support redistricting in 2013. This plan was authorized by the last meeting of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC). In addition, the SREC has voted to place a ballot proposition on our 2012 primary ballot as a referendum on calling on the State Legislature to take up redistricting again in 2013. In the event that the maps are not representative of a strong Republican majority - we will ask all Republican primary voters to support this ballot proposition to encourage our State Legislature to draw new final maps in 2013.

The update also responded to criticism that the party had been receiving from members concerned that the party was trading away seats, saying that responsibility for any deal fell in the hands of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

It is important to note, that the talks between the Democratic and Republican parties deal solely with the deadlines and scheduling of the primary election, not with the boundaries of state legislative or Congressional districts. Only the Attorney General’s office’s attorneys are involved in those discussions. Thus, the email chains that have gone out accusing the Republican Party of Texas of trying to save a convention deposit in exchange for district lines, are blatantly false.