PARTY POWER VS DISCRIMINATION
Republicans, including Trump, have openly acknowledged that the new map is aimed at increasing their political power. The party currently controls 25 of the state’s 38 districts under a Republican-drawn map that was passed four years ago.
Democrats and civil rights groups have said the new map further dilutes the voting power of racial minorities in violation of federal law and have vowed to sue.
Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years after the US Census to account for population changes. Mid-decade redistricting has historically been unusual. In many states, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers manipulate the lines to favour their party over the opposition, a practice known as gerrymandering.
Redrawing lines strictly for the purpose of favoring one party over the other has been generally accepted by the US Supreme Court, while redrawing political lines on the basis of racial or ethnic discrimination is a violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.
Texas Democrats on Wednesday raised multiple objections to the redistricting measure before the final vote.
Democratic Representative John Bucy said from the House floor that the new maps were clearly intended to dilute the voting power of Black, Latino and Asian voters, and that his Republican colleagues’ bending to the will of Trump was deeply worrying.
“This is not democracy, this is authoritarianism in real time,” Bucy said. “This is Donald Trump’s map. It clearly and deliberately manufactures five more Republican seats in Congress because Trump himself knows the voters are rejecting his agenda.”
