Texas Redistricting map now online(link is in thread)

http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/ ^ | 10/09/03 | Texas GOP

[Diddle E. Squat]

Go here:

http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/

The proposed map is the last one listed: Proposed Congressional Districts - HB3 CCR 10-09-03, plan C01374

Current districts are the third option: US Congressional Districts, 108th Congres, plan C01151

[Diddle E. Squat]

You can zoom in on the map to a level that shows streets, and thus be able to determine where exactly the district lines are for you, and whose district you would be in.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Let's try again on the hotlink:

http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/

[Support Free Republic]

I would like to take a moment to ask for donations.

It should be clear to all conservatives by now that the left intends to demonize us. They don't just disagree with us, they hate us. And worse, they want to get other people to hate us.

Places like Free Republic drive the left batty.

Please donate. Thanks for your consideration.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Whaddaya think about that redistricting map?

[mmandahl]

Unfortunatly all I have on my system is Mozilla and Camino. So I can't see these maps.

[DallasMike]

Okay, I'm in district 3 (barely). Who's my rep going to be?

[HouTom]

Map is impressive from a technical standpoint.

Disappointing though because I'm still in Shelia Jackson Lee's district. Talk about taxation with no representation . . . .

[DrewsDad]

Free at Last! Arrivederci Doggett! Later Lloyd!

[maestro]

'Cool',.......TEXAS should own all of South America!

[SwinneySwitch]

I've been moved into the 25th! What is Cris Bell(D)like?

[LibWhacker]

RedViewer is pure proprietary crap, isn't it? (But I must say, it sure produces some beautiful maps.) Still, what have they got against html, .jpg, etc.? Are they afraid somebody on the net is going to distribute their maps far and wide? I guess they wouldn't want that.

BTW, when is the vote?

[AuH2ORepublican]

"I've been moved into the 25th! What is Cris Bell(D)like? "

---

The new 25th stretches all the way to the Mexican border and is like 65% Hispanic. You ain't getting Chris Bell, you're getting a Hispanic Democrat. Chris Bell's old 25th CD, located in Houston and Fort Bend, was turned into a black plurality district, and Bell most probably will be out of a job.

[AuH2ORepublican]

I believe Sam Johnson, one of the most conservative Republicans in Congress. Congratulations!

[HostileTerritory]

I hope this map clears the judges... I've been following the process for a while and this is the most ambitious redraw they've done all year. It's really breathtaking.

We've hit the jackpot if it goes through, but I wonder if it will.

[Dog Gone]

I didn't realize you could zoom in that far. Cool.

I've been moved from Tom DeLay's district into Ron Paul's. I like DeLay far better, so now I think I'll challenge Paul in the primary. I'm tired of my current job.

[JohnnyZ]

I looked at the map and . . . well, I don't know what it all means. Can someone give a rundown? The news reports have been less than fully descriptive.

I like DeLay far better, so now I think I'll challenge Paul in the primary. I'm tired of my current job.

Take him out and I'll forget all the disagreements I've had with you!!! ;)

[AuH2ORepublican]

"I hope this map clears the judges"

---

I think it will. It created one new Hispanic-majority district and one new black-plurality district, and kept the same number of minority-majority districts as the court-imposed plan of 2002, so they won't be able to claim retrogression pursuant to the Voting Rights Act. In fact, it will be even more difficult for the RATs to claim retrogression, since the Supreme Court recently ruled in a case covering GA state senate districts that when considering possible retrogression one has to compare the new plan looking at the 2000 Census and compare it to the old plan (i.e., the one used in the 1990s) looking at the 1990 Census. Since pursuant to the 1990 Census there were fewer minority-majority districts than pursuant to the 2000 Census (because of the heavy growth in the Hispanic population), I don't see how thay could possibly rule that there was retrogression in this map.

Another possible claim would involve illegitimate use of race when drawing the lines (in violation of the Equal Protection Clause), but the districts are no more gerrymandered than in the previous map, and the state could argue that it was obligated to draw funny looking districts in urban areas in order to maximize minority-majority districts.

The final claim would be that the legislature couldn't redistrict because a court had already drawn the map for this decade, but I don't think that argument will go anywhere. The court that drew the map specifically stated that it was only binding until the legislature agreed to a map, and besides Minnesota redrew the districts in 1994 after the courts drew the map for the 1992 election, so the Texas action is not unprecedented.

I hadn't liked any of the previous maps, but I must say that this one is not bad at all. It strengthens Bonilla while maintaining it as a Hispanic-majority district, protects every other Republican, eliminates districts that could be won by Frost, Doggett, Bell, Lampson, Turner, Sandlin, Edwards and probably Stenholm as well (although it creates two new RAT districts), and creates three RAT-leaning Hispanic-majority districts that are actually winnable for a Hispanic Republican---GOP performance was between 49% and 50% in 2000 and between 41% and 44% in 2002 (even though a Hispanic Democrat ran for Governor in 2002). I would have preferred if they had drawn a few districts that were 50% Hispanic but had GOP performance of at least 55% (they could have drawn at least 3 or 4 such seats, instead of the one seat they drew for Bonilla), but that could have been challenged in the courts because a 50% Hispanic district has much less than 50% Hispanic voters. So the plan adopted by the Texas legislature is as good as we could expect, and they deserve out thanks for sticking to it and finally getting a map approved.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Have you seen the new map yet? Not bad at all. I posted a few comments on post #17.

BTW, I didn't look at the map at the address linked above, I used this one:

http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/plans/planC01374/viewer.htm?Title=PLAN%2001374C%20-HB3%20-%20Conference%20Committee%20Report%20%2010-9-03

[ForOurFuture]

Take him out and I'll forget all the disagreements I've had with you!!! ;)

You don't like Paul?

[JohnnyZ]

You don't like Paul?

You know, sometimes he's okay, but way too many times he marches off the right side of the world and reappears in Lefty Land, PacMan-like. I only end up agreeing with half of what he says, and there's no need to elect an Olympia Snowe in Texas.