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The territory is the map

Just for reference, this map shows the proposed Texas federal districting, and this map shows the current Texas federal districting. I can see some pretty weird looking districts in the latter (check out 15, for example), but the former certainly doesn’t do any better. In fact, 15 is worse. You can’t see it at this scale, but the proposed district 15 has a mile wide strip along the bottom of the state that connects it to a little bubble of territory under district 23.

4 Comments

  1. The DeLay redistricting plan is designed to strengthen suburban districts at the expense of rural and urban districts. It’s hard to see what happens to rural districts if you’re not familiar with the states, but it’s pretty obvious how the cities are carved up. Anything that looks like a pie is a city.

    The Houston map is appalling. My husband, who used to live in Georgetown (15 min from Austin) says the Austin map is just as bad. I haven’t seen the map at this level of detail, but I understand there’s a point in Austin where one of the districts is 5 blocks wide.

  2. Ok, as far as I can tell this site has an interactive version of the current map (001151) and the proposed (001180, under “all other redistricting plans) Dallas and Fort Worth don’t seem to be hit too badly in terms of “shape” – they were pretty bad already.

  3. The current districts were gerrymandered for the same reason (to favor the party in the majority) that the proposed districts are gerrymandered.

    I ain’t sayin’ it’s right or wrong, but both parties do it in every state in the Union. So it’s a little hard to sympathize with the TX’s dems SHOCK at this proposal.

  4. The shock is at a 2nd try in 2 years instead of 10. Tom DeLay has claimed that Texas is out of line, but he’s lying. 5 of the democratic representatives are from Republican majority districts that the Republicans didn’t win. There are all sorts of reasons for this, but it’s a cold, hard fact. What Tom wants isn’t ‘fair’ redistricting, but ‘safe’ republican seats. That’s not worth opening the can of worms that allowing redistricting mid-decade would do. This bill was always bad for Texas and I’m glad it died.

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