Matt Angle: On Redistricting, It's About Morality

by: Michael Hurta

Sun May 05, 2013 at 10:00 AM CDT

In today's first Sunday Opinion, strategist Matt Angle gives yet another reason why the so-called leaders of Texas just need to stop meddling.

Read below the fold to get the latest.

What Fixing the Congressional Map Might Look Like for Travis County and Central Texas

by: Michael Li

Sun Apr 28, 2013 at 10:17 PM CDT

And what would become of the current Hispanic opportunity district (CD-35) - drawn by the Texas Legislature and incorporated into the court's second interim map - once the populous Hispanic parts of Travis County are removed?

The joint map advisory filed by 6 of 8 plaintiff groups with the court in San Antonio has suggested at least a couple of options.

Learn more below the jump.

Texas Redistricting: It's Back! (sort of)

by: Michael Li

Thu Apr 18, 2013 at 05:43 PM CDT

The hearing ended up being a relatively sedate affair - although State Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin) drew a firm line in the sand when he told the committee that the senate's Democratic caucus was united in opposing moving forward with the bill.

If that holds, the Democratic caucus would have the votes needed under the senate's 2/3 rule to block consideration of the bill on the floor - absent procedural maneuvering by the Republican majority.

Texas Lunch Links: Drug Tests for the Unemployed, Obamacare, and Guns in College Classrooms

by: Nick Hudson

Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 00:40 PM CDT

GUNS LEGISLATION: Ted Cruz and John "Ted Cruz" Cornyn joined 31 other United States Senators on Thursday in voting against debating a package of gun control measures, including an effort to expand background checks.

OBAMACARE: As a result of the Affordable Care Act, nearly 2.6 million Texans, 88% of whom come from working families, will be eligible for premium tax credits that will help them pay for private insurance starting in January 2014, according to a report released Thursday by the nonprofit Families USA.

REDISTRICTING: The San Antonio Express Editorial Board says "Lawmakers should reject [Greg] Abbott's recommendation," to enact interim maps drawn by a federal panel of judges during the 83rd Regular Legislative Session.

CHARTER SCHOOLS: A modified version of state Senator Dan Patrick's charter school bill, which raises the cap on charter schools from the current 215 to 305 by 2019 and gives the Texas Education Agency new authority to act against poor-performing charter schools, was approved by the Senate yesterday.

DRUG TESTING THE JOBLESS: Not to be outdone by Senate Health & Human Services Chairman, Repulican Senator Jane Nelson, Tommy Williams, the Republican Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, got his bill that would require drug testing of many unemployment recipients through the Texas Senate with a unanimous vote yesterday.

UT REGENTS: The University of Texas Board of Regents probably made a good decision on Thursday when it relented to pressure from lawmakers to release documents requested by Senator Judith Zaffirini and to pursue and independent investigation of a private foundation which supports the UT Law School.

GUNS ON CAMPUS The Texas House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee voted 7-1 yesterday for a bill that would allowed concealed weapons in college classrooms.

An Update on Texas Redistricting and the Process Ahead

by: Michael Li

Sun Mar 24, 2013 at 03:31 PM CDT

The court previously told the parties that it would not "issue any opinion" until after the Supreme Court decides questions in Shelby Co. v. Holder surrounding the constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

However, the court asked the parties for advice on alternative scenarios if section 5 is upheld and if it - or the coverage formula - are struck down, including time estimates.

So, what did they say? Find out below the jump.

Backgrounder: Texas and Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act

by: Michael Li

Mon Feb 25, 2013 at 06:31 PM CST

• Texas is one of 8 states currently covered in its entirety by the preclearance provisions in section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.  In addition, another 8 states are partially covered. The other states covered in whole are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. Virginia also is covered as a state, although a number of its counties and political subdivisions no longer are.
  
  
• Texas was not covered under section 5 until 1975 amendments to the Voting Rights Act, which added provisions to address discrimination against language minority groups. Like Arizona, Texas became covered because Spanish speakers at the time of the November 1972 general election constituted more than 5% of voting age citizens but the state still provided election information only in English.
  
  
• Since becoming a covered jurisdiction, Texas and its political subdivisions have been the subject of 206 preclearance objections from the Justice Department - more than any other covered jurisdiction. Additionally, although Texas elected not to submit its 2011 legislative and congressional redistricting maps to DOJ for preclearance, a three-judge panel denied preclearance to all three of Texas' plans in 2012.
  
  
• Of the objections since Texas became a covered jurisdiction, 73 occurred between 1975-1979, 53 were between 1980-1989, 65 were between 1990-1999, and 15 have been since 2000.  In all, 112 of the objections were lodged by under Republican administrations and 94 during Democratic administrations.
  
  
• Prior to the Obama administration, the Justice Department objected to all three of the state's redistricting plans in the 1981 cycle, the state house and state senate redistricting plans in the 1991 cycle, and the state house plan in the 2001 cycle.  In 1991, DOJ also objected to the City of Dallas' proposed 10-4-1 city council plan.
  
  
• In 2011-2012, in addition to opposing Texas' redistricting plans and Texas' voter ID law (SB 14), the Justice Department objected to redistricting plans for county commissions in Galveston and Nueces counties and to a change in the way the trustees for the Beaumont Independent School District would be elected.
  
  
• If section 5 is upheld, Texas would remain covered by preclearance requirements until 2031, unless at some future juncture it qualifies for bailout under provisions of the Voting Rights Act.  Under current law, to bailout as a state, Texas and all of its political subdivisions would need to have a 'clean record' under both section 5 and section 2 of the Voting Rights Act for a period at least ten years, in addition to meeting other statutory requirements.
  
  
• Political subdivisions, such as counties, also can bailout on their own if they independently meet the bailout tests, though to date none have done so in Texas.  Nationwide, roughly 125 jurisdictions have bailed out since 2009.
  
  
• As a covered jurisdiction, Texas is required to submit all voting related changes either to the Justice Department or to a court in Washington D.C. for approval (preclearance) before they can be put into effect.  This requirement includes changes in the manner of voting, candidacy requirements, abolition of an office, annexations, redistricting plans as well as things like the location of precinct polling places and changes in political parties' delegate selection rules.
  
  

This post was updated to add a missing bullet point that disappeared into the ether during reformatting. -- KH

Raul Torres Hopes Pandering Can Earn Trust of Latino Community

by: David Feigen

Wed Sep 12, 2012 at 00:00 PM CDT

It is truly remarkable that Raul Torres finds the audacity to claim that he and the Texas Republican Party have had the best interests of the Latino community in their plans. Sure, Torres and the GOP can talk a good game. They can talk about faith, family, and freedom until sundown, and they can pray that fluffy slogans mask their despicable legislative agenda. But instead of fighting for greater economic opportunity for the Hispanic community, they plan to belittle them with bumper sticker arguments. Instead of standing up for a community being disenfranchised and treated as outsiders in their own home, they have led the charge of disenfranchisement, and Raul Torres's hands are far from clean.

Torres' voting record is consistently against the rights of the Texas Hispanic Community. In 2011, Torres voted to approve the infamous redistricting maps. These maps were so corruptly drawn, the Department of Justice declared that "discriminatory intent permeated the congressional redistricting process, based on a broad array of circumstantial evidence." Additionally, Torres voted for the equally controversial Voter ID bill that was struck down by a federal court for imposing "strict, unforgiving burdens" on poor minority voters. His crusade against the Latino community's rights and freedoms doesn't stop there. Torres has applauded Rick Perry's assault on sanctuary cities (areas that provide a safe area for non-criminal immigrants that helps build important bridges between immigrant communities). Of course, Raul Torres does not only support oppressive immigration policies within Texas' borders. In a newsletter to supporters, Torres writes about his "pleasure" in spreading the "truth" about the controversial Arizona Immigration Law, SB 1070. This was a bill that would turn police officers into border agents, asking for the immigration status of anyone "suspected" of being an illegal immigrant. To summarize, Torres has been a leading supporter in all of the most notorious pieces of legislation involving the Latino community in recent memory. He will try to pander his way to victory, but this man's voting record speaks volumes about how he views immigrants and the Latino community at large.  

It must be noted that not all Hispanics are against Voter ID, the struck down redistricting maps, the raiding of sanctuary cities, and the Arizona Immigration Law. Political commentators on both sides should not group all Hispanics in one block. Like any group, each individual has their own policy priorities and beliefs. But what must be acknowledged is that pieces of legislation voted for by Raul Torres and Texas Republicans amount to more than controversial political issues. Voter ID and the GOP redistricting efforts harken back to poll taxes and the grandfather clause. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to defend the voting rights of all Americans, and these pieces of legislation unashamedly stomp on those guaranteed rights.

So if Raul Torres and Republicans are so confident that "Latinos are Republican and they are just starting to realize it", why do they feel the need to blatantly disenfranchise such a large segment of the Latino community? If they are so confident they can win on the arguments, why do they feel the need to draw up maps with "discriminatory intent"? Because they don't have the arguments, they don't have the record, and they don't have the intent of strengthening the status of Texas Latinos.  

Round-Up of Redistricting Press Statements

by: Katherine Haenschen

Thu Aug 30, 2012 at 10:19 AM CDT

We received many statements from our elected officials and progressive groups praising the court's ruling. Below the jump you can read statements from:

• Congressman Lloyd Doggett
• Congressman Charlie Gonzalez
• Senator Rodney Ellis
• Senator Wendy Davis
• Representative Garnet Coleman
• The Lone Star Project
• Representative Sylvester Turner
• Chairman Steve Maxwell, Tarrant County Democratic Party

Burnt Orange Report Endorsements: CD-14: Nick Lampson

by: Burnt Orange Report

Sun May 13, 2012 at 03:45 PM CDT

Lampson is a dedicated public servant who previously served in Congress from 1997 to 2005. He was forced out by Tom DeLay's mid-decade gerrymander -- an effort that drove nearly every Anglo Democrat out of office -- and battled back to win DeLay's former seat in 2006. He is a strong candidate to win this redrawn open seat, from which Ron Paul is retiring. A Lampson victory is crucial to efforts of the Democratic Party to regain a majority in the House of Representatives, and this is one of our two highest-profile general elections here in Texas.

As a Congressman, Lampson established the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, which created the AMBER Alert system. He also sponsored legislation to stop child pornography and exploitation of children. He's dedicated to constituent work, and if elected we're confident he would be an exemplary public servant in the truest sense of the phrase. Lampson is the clear favorite in the primary, and will meet the winner of a 10-way GOP battle royale that won't wrap up until July's run-off. In the meantime, Lampson is raising plenty of cash, and has been added to the DCCC's Red-to-Blue list of our strongest pick-up opportunities across the nation.

We enthusiastically and unanimously endorse Lampson in the Democratic primary, and urge Texans to support him all the way through November in this crucial swing district.

BOR POLL: Texans Deeply Divided on Rick Perry, Direction of Texas, Issues Facing State

by: BOR PAC

Wed Apr 11, 2012 at 04:33 PM CDT

Before we tell you the results, we have a few notes on our universe, and our results:

• This is a poll of Likely Voters. Our Likely Voter screen skewed the universe towards an older, whiter, more Republican electorate than the registered voter population -- and general population -- of Texas as a whole. Additionally, because this was a poll of land-line phones, our respondents skewed even older and whiter than the likely voter screen.
• Partisanship was determined by respondents' self-identification as more likely to vote for Democrats or Republicans. Those that chose "otherwise" are not included in the partisanship cross-tab, but are included in the "all."
• There is no weighting of these results; however, weighting for sex or party ID would have only minimally impacted the results due to the sample size.
• In our full results, posted below the jump, we have cross-tabbed each answer by age (under 60, 60 and up), sex, and party. We initially looked at sex vs. party, but found that a) the margin of error was too high to make the results meaningful, and b) there wasn't a huge degree of divergence between men and women of the same party identification.

Overall, the results demonstrate sharp polarization in Texas between Democrats and Republicans in terms of their approval of Perry and opinion of the major issues facing our state. On nearly every issue, Democrats and Republicans disagree. However, what's most interesting is how out-of-touch Republicans are from the majority opinion of Texans.

Other key take-aways:

• Texans are split on whether or not Texas is moving in the right direction. Republicans say yes and Democrats say no, by almost the identical percentages.
• While Texans as a whole disapprove of the job Perry is doing, Republicans approve of Rick Perry by a 2-1 margin.
• On the whole, Texans disapprove of the mandatory sonogram law, and of potential laws that would allow employers to deny employees insurance coverage of birth control.
• 26% of Republicans say they are willing to raise taxes to fund public education. Don't tell Grover Norquist!
• Texans support using the Rainy Day fund to restore cuts to public education. Republicans oppose this, but only marginally.

Republicans really are the party of "No." Unfortunately for the rest of us, they so overwhelm the electorate -- and our elected bodies -- that the rest of us are left to suffer at the hands of their policies.

The poll was in the field April 4-5, 2012. We targeted Likely Voters, defined here as voters who cast a ballot in at least 2 of the last 3 November partisan general elections (2010, 2008, 2006). Margin of error ranges from 4.1 to 4.4%.

"Do you think Texas is moving in the right direction or the wrong direction?" All: Democrats: Republicans: Right: 42% 19% 65% Wrong: 40% 65% 21% Otherwise: 18% 16% 14%

Texans as a whole are split on this issue; however when viewed through the lens of party identification it is clear that Democrats and Republicans have vastly divergent ideas of whether or not things are going well in the Lone Star State.

"Overall, do you approve of the way that Rick Perry is handling his job as Governor of Texas?" All: Democrats: Republicans: Approve: 35% 6% 61% Disapprove: 57% 89% 32% Otherwise: 9% 5% 7%

Here we see that the majority of Texans disapprove of the way Perry is handling his job as Governor; again, however, Republicans approve of him by an almost two-to-one margin. The man knows his base!

"The Legislature passed a law that requires women to undergo a sonogram before an abortion. Do you support this law?" All: Democrats: Republicans: Support: 39% 21% 58% Oppose: 48% 69% 31% Otherwise: 13% 10% 11%

A majority of Texans oppose the sonogram law. This is good news, and likely a reflection of the intense media attention surrounding the law. Yet again, however, we see that Republicans are out of touch with the rest of Texans on this crucial issue for women's reproductive rights.

"Proposed new laws could allow employers to refuse to cover their employees' prescription birth control." All: Democrats: Republicans: Support: 35% 14% 56% Oppose: 51% 74% 34% Otherwise: 14% 12% 10%

Again here we see a majority of Texans opposing laws that would allow employers to deny insurance coverage of birth control for their employees. And yet again, we see Republicans supporting these measures, though by a slightly narrower margin than they do the sonogram law.

"Marriage equality laws allow gays and lesbians to get married." All: Democrats: Republicans: Support: 33% 45% 19% Oppose: 54% 42% 72% Otherwise: 13% 13% 9%

While this is not exactly a shocking result here in Texas, from a progressive standpoint it is good to see Democrats tilting towards "support" on this issue. Maybe the SDEC should reconsider whether this issue can be in the resolutions section of our primary ballot, since clearly, if narrowly, Democrats support marriage equality.

"In 2011, the Texas legislature cut 5.4 billion dollars from the public education budget. Some lawmakers want to raise taxes to restore funding to education." All: Democrats: Republicans: Support: 38% 59% 26% Oppose: 50% 30% 66% Otherwise: 12% 11% 8%

The big shocker here is that one quarter of Republicans support raising taxes to fund public education and restore the draconian cuts of last session. Take note, however, that Texans as a whole oppose this move, suggesting that the decimation of public education has not fully registered with likely voters.

"There is currently almost ten billion dollars in the state's Rainy Day fund. Some lawmakers want to use this money to restore funding for public education." All: Democrats: Republicans: Support: 59% 80% 43% Oppose: 31% 12% 48% Otherwise: 10% 7% 9%

This is perhaps the most important result from this poll: by an almost 2-to-1 margin, Texans support using the Rainy Day Fund to restore cuts to public education. What is likely boosting this number is the overwhelming Democratic support for this effort, as well as the marginal Republican opposition. This could be a very good issue for Democrats to campaign on this cycle, and a difficult question for Republicans to answer: why won't Republican candidates commit to using the Rainy Day fund to restore cuts to education? And in case you are curious, yes, we did ask the tax question before the Rainy Day fund question.

"Some lawmakers have proposed an independent redistricting commission, which would take the process out of the hands of the Legislature." All: Democrats: Republicans: Support: 44% 54% 34% Oppose: 31% 20% 47% Otherwise: 26% 25% 20%

While Texans as a whole support an independent redistricting commission, Republicans do not. Hey, makes sense -- they make out like bandits under the current system. You know who doesn't? People in Texas who want fair representation, and think the Legislature's time could be spent on better things than drawing maps to protect themselves.

Full crosstabs are available below the jump. Thanks again to People Calling People for partnering with us on this project!

Support more polls and more projects like this. Make a donation to BOR PAC today!