Redrawn Texas Maps Draw Ire Of Civil Rights Group

Ken Paxton
Ken Paxton

The Texas Legislature gets a chance every ten years to redraw the map of Texas. The redrawn Texas Maps lead to redrawn and reconfigured electoral boundaries. This is done to make sure that the population changes get fairly apportioned to each of the districts.

The redrawn Texas map have raised charges of gerrymandering to lock in or expand their power in the upcoming elections. The Republicans have been in charge in the state for the last 18 years. This has allowed them to redraw the Texas map twice in this century.

But rights groups are up in arms against the redrawn Texas maps and have filed a lawsuit in a federal court. The suit is against the freshly redrawn US House districts. The groups alleged that the re-designing was done to weaken the power of the minority voters, especially Latinos, by the Republicans.

Republicans Using Redrawn Texas Maps To Maintain Electoral Advantage

Attorney Nina Perales of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund says that the Republican administration in the state is using its powers to prevent changes that are inevitable in the Texan electorate.

Under the 2020 census, Texas got 2 new districts. The districts are to be carved out from the Austin and Houston areas. The proposed redrawn Texas maps would ensure the advantage the GOP has in the state for another 10 years. it will increase their hold over the districts.

Texas has also been dragged to court on the same issue of voting maps. A court had ruled in 2017 that a map drawn by the Republicans was deliberately discriminatory against voters from the minority groups.

But a couple of years later, the same court had ruled that there wasn’t sufficient cause for Texas to be placed under the supervision of the federal administration in issues of the redrawn Texas maps. The new maps are expected to be signed by Governor Greg Abbott (Rep.)