AG accepts Texas redistricting deal

Associated Press ^ | Feb. 6, 2012 | Paul J. Webber

[Bevo]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Texas' attorney general agreed Monday to temporary voting maps that add new Hispanic-dominated districts and could save the April 3 date for primary elections statewide. But at least one influential minority group said it would fight the new plan.

Still, the proposal marks a rare moment of agreement in a bitter legal clash that has dragged on since last summer, even reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. Minority groups filed a lawsuit alleging the GOP-controlled Legislature drafted redistricting maps that were discriminatory and ignored a burgeoning Hispanic population.

A San Antonio federal court had given the state and minority groups until Monday to reach a compromise, or see the Texas primaries pushed back for a second time.

Under the new plan, Hispanics would control half of Texas' four new congressional seats that were awarded following new population numbers from the census. Attorney General Greg Abbott said seven minority groups agreed to the new plan, which he said minimizes changes to the original redistricting maps drafted by the Legislature.

"Today's maps should allow the court to finalize the interim redistricting maps in time to have elections in April," Abbott said in a statement.

[wolfcreek]

“a burgeoning Hispanic population”

To say the least.

[Leep]

“temporary voting maps”

Is that politcal speak for permanent?

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

Still, the proposal marks a rare moment of agreement in a bitter legal clash that has dragged on since last summer, even reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. Minority groups filed a lawsuit alleging the GOP-controlled Legislature drafted redistricting maps that were discriminatory and ignored a burgeoning Hispanic population.

What part of that "burgeoning Hispanic poplulation" is legal? Meanwhile the Left challenges the new Texas voter ID law in court.

Under the new plan, Hispanics would control half of Texas' four new congressional seats that were awarded following new population numbers from the census

And they are not satisfied with that.

[DustyMoment]

(sigh)

I kind of hoped Abbott would dig in his heels. Is this what America has come to? Our Congressional voting districts are segmented on the basis of race/ethnicity?

I hear the sound of the Founding Fathers spinning in their graves!! Congress is supposed to be served by people who represent ALL of the people in their district - NOT just those of a certin race/ethnicity!!

Since this is all about the Mexicanation of Texas, how do they draw the map to ensure that MY house isn’t included in one of those “temporary” Hispanic districts?? I’m not Hispanic, so who in Texas represents MY interests in the national sewer called Washington, D.C.?

And, how does drawing Congressional districts on the basis of race/ethnicity serve what used to be the “world’s melting pot”? Thanks to Washington politicians, we haven’t been the world’s “melting pot” for decades; but we are becoming the world’s most politically, racially and ethnically divided nation on earth.

Welcome to the Balkanized States of America!!

[SMGFan]

4 districts may be a 2 D 2 R split based on Dave Wasserman tweets
http://twitter.com/redistrict

[Rightly Biased]

I’m in one of those I bet I get stuck with a “D”

either Lloyd Dog$***

or Henry Gualler

[SailormanCGA72]

Way out in Colorado County we are represented by Pelosi Lap Dog Dogget. I am so sick of being represented by an Austin liberal low life that still lives with his mommy.

[deport]

News regarding the redistricting efforts. Not sure if this will be finalized in time for an Apr primary.

[OrangeHoof]

Nothing was going to please everybody. If they weight the two Latino districts with a lot of Hispanics, it might take enough away elsewhere to steal another district.

That was the dirty little secret of the racially gerrymandered minority districts the libs pushed for in the 1980s - it diluted the strength of liberals in non-minority districts so the GOP took many seats that weren’t expected.

[Theodore R.]

What’s so special about an April primary; let them go back to May or even June.

[montag813]

This is all the fault of George W. Bush and the GOP House leadership. Steve King and other conservatives fought to have the outdated, absurd Federal oversight of former segregation states from the 1965 Voting Rights Act removed, as well as removing the 5% requirement for bi-lingual ballots (at the jurisdictions’ expense - unfunded mandate). But the House leadership killed the amendements, and Bush signed a disgusting, un-American, 25 YEAR EXTENSION (there had previously been 5- and 10-year extensions of it). So now the Feds can tell every Southern state their business, citing “racism”, “disenfranchisement”, and “discrimination”. Despicable.

[XenaLee]

Yep. I'm afraid it is.

“temporary voting maps”

Is that politcal speak for permanent?

[BuckeyeTexan]

The AG seems to think it will "save" the April primary. I say "so what!" The nominee will be decided by the time we vote.

• second largest state in the union by population and size
• second largest number of electoral votes in the union - 34
• one eighth the population of the entire union

It's maddening that Texas has virtually no voice in the presidential primary election.

(Flame away, Texas haters. Beware though. You might draw back a nub.)

[luvie]

Welcome to Northern Mexico!

[XenaLee]

It’s not only maddening....it’s the deliberate disenfranchisement of ALL Texas voters. And it should be illegal to do what they’re doing.

And yes, the world HAS gone mad.

[ngat]

The AG is going to have to agree sometime. Texas is under the control of two out-of-control federal judges under the Voting Rights act. Attorney General Abbott has done a fantastic legal service for Texas, winning arguments before the Supreme Court against these two “judges”, but Texas was put under this law that extended reconstruction, by LBJ and re-extended it due to GWB, and there is just so much AG Abbott can do. The purpose of this federal law was to extend democrat rule and liberal rule in Texas for as long as possible, and the wording of this law will work to that end as intended until it is repealed.

[TheOldLady]

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[Rightly Biased]

That’s fine if they leave the districts in the valley but they will run it from Seguin (south central texas) to Laredo that is what pisses me off.

Then to have another from South Austin to Victoria really....???

[Monorprise]

“I kind of hoped Abbott would dig in his heels. Is this what America has come to? Our Congressional voting districts are segmented on the basis of race/ethnicity?

I hear the sound of the Founding Fathers spinning in their graves!! Congress is supposed to be served by people who represent ALL of the people in their district - NOT just those of a certain race/ethnicity!!”

What is sick about this is Washington having any say in how State congressional districts are drawn. I don’t care about the federally demanded racism as much.