In a departure from the rancor over Travis County’s congressional districts, local state representatives are apparently happy about their own proposed new boundaries, and for good reason: House Redistricting Committee Chair Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, let them draw the districts themselves.
According to the reps, the map Solomons later produced mostly kept their designs intact. The most notable change from current districts is in the western part of the county: Republican Paul Workman‘s District 47 would become more rural and more Republican, while Donna Howard‘s District 48 would turn more urban and Democratic, probably ending a decade of nail-biting elections.
One minor problem did crop up at Tuesday’s House Redistricting Committee meeting: Austin Dems Dawnna Dukes and Eddie Rodriguez agreed to swap a few precincts, which would have put Eastside Memorial High School into Rodriguez’s district. But Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, decided to intervene, claiming concern over a retrogression of minority voting rights that might occur – even though Rodriguez and Dukes are both minorities – and the amendment was set aside. Phillips later raised the possibility that the move was perhaps a stealth “poison pill” amendment that would put the map in legal jeopardy. Dukes told the Chronicle that the retrogression would have been about one-half of 1%, and said Republicans “don’t seem to be concerned about what they’re doing to Lloyd Doggett and the rest of the state” regarding minority voting rights. She said she’ll seek to reinstate the flip on the House floor.
Houstonians complained in weekend hearings that their districts got twisted into something that splits minority communities, including the growing Asian-American population. Closer to home, Williamson County Democratic Party Chair Brian Hamon correctly noted that a barbell district connecting Milam and Burnet counties via a narrow swath along the southern Williamson border was “absurdly shaped.” The district was amended in committee Tuesday to connect the two counties through northern Williamson instead.
Download PDFs of the current House districts and proposed House districts.
This article appears in April 22 • 2011.