State lawmakers set to tackle redistricting as voters and candidates await elections | Local News
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State lawmakers are preparing for a third special session of the Texan legislature hosted by Governor Greg Abbott, due to begin Monday.
The main topic of discussion for lawmakers on Monday will be redistribution among other deals. Usually during the regular session every 10 years, it has been postponed due to delays during the 2020 census due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Redistribution is the process of reorganizing county boundaries to ensure equal electoral representation by equal or equivalent populations, according to the Texas Comptroller’s website.
Rep. Hugh Shine, R-Temple, said he hopes and expects his district, which includes parts of northern Killeen as well as eastern and northern Bell Counties, will remain intact.
“We have so many interest groups in District 55,” Shine said. “Temple and Belton overlap, Troy, Academy, Rogers … they overlap in Temple and Belton too.”
Shine said District 55 has practically stayed the same for about 40 years.
He added that the relationship between East Bell County and Belton and Temple overlap due to the rich history of German and Czech heritage in the area.
Referring to new population data from the 2020 census, Shines portion of Bell County has a population similar to Fellow Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, who represents most of Killeen and the rest of Bell County and Lampasas Counties.
With Bell County growing rapidly – up to the state’s 15th most populous county – Shine said that if Bell County was left intact and represented by counties 54 and 55, Buckley Lampasas County would lose.
Should that happen, Buckley could face a challenging climb for re-election.
In both elections he won, Buckley’s opponents received more support in Bell County. The Republican votes in Lampasas County led Buckley to victory.
In 2020, Democratic challenger KeKe Williams had 51.5% versus 48.5% for Buckley in Bell County.
In 2018, Democrat Kathy Richerson had 51% versus Buckley’s 49% in Bell County.
“I look forward to continuing the redistribution process in the 3rd special session of the 87th Texas Legislature on Monday. I will be working on this important process to ensure that the critical issues and needs of House District 54 are effectively represented, ”Buckley said via email on Friday afternoon.
For family reasons, he was unable to comment further.
During the term of office, lawmakers will redraw the county lines for the US House of Representatives, all House and Senate seats, the State Board of Education, and all 469 district courts.
New convention districts
Based on the 2020 census results, Texas is set to win two seats in the US House of Representatives, and some have already started speculating on where these two new counties might go.
Some have suggested a new district near Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio. Others have also suggested driving near Austin, such as Georgetown.
Although he couldn’t say for sure, Shine said he believes the two new boroughs will be near two of these four major metropolitan areas.
“I’m not exactly sure where they end up,” Shine said. “But I can guarantee you that Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin will certainly fight for the opportunity to increase their congressional delegation.”
Legislators have already started the first work on redistribution, which goes back to the regular session, Shine said.
Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, chairs the House Redistribution Committee, which has 15 members – nine Republicans and six Democrats.
Shine said Hunter and the committee held several public hearings on the redistribution during the regular session, and they have held several during the two convened sessions so far.
“In May, a group from District 55 – community leaders, Temple, Belton, and East Bell Counties – (a) attended a hearing to express their desire to keep the community together,” Shine said.
The redistribution follows the same path in the legislature as other bills.
Each chamber can introduce redistribution plans for the congressional districts or the State Board of Education, while each chamber introduces redistribution plans for state offices.
If the Senate or Texas Houses of Representatives are not enacted during the session, the five-member Legislative Review Board, including the Vice-Governor and Speaker of the House, will meet to pass a plan of their own, according to the Capitol website.
If the districts of Congress or the State Board of Education fail to enact, or the Legislative Review Board is unable to pass plans, district and federal courts are likely to be brought in to issue court-ordered plans, the Capitol website said .
Shine said redistribution lawsuits are widespread and almost “inevitable”.
“There will always be redistribution lawsuits,” Shine said. “You will have offended interests that are out there; some of them are valid and some are not. And it’s just inherent in the process. “
He said lawsuits could delay the final district lines, as they did in the 1990s.
Shine said lawmakers redefined the district lines in 1991, and due to legal proceedings, had to do so again in 1993 and 1995 before remaining unchanged through 2003.
When will the choice be?
A reassignment could affect the deadline for submitting candidates as well as the upcoming area code.
Shine and Buckley, along with other members, have announced that they will be re-elected for their respective districts.
During the second convened session, which ended Sept. 2, Senator Joan Huffman, R-Houston drafted Senate Draft No. 13, which set the filing dates and primary session based on when redistribution is complete.
On the side of the house, Hunter sponsored the bill.
Abbott signed the bill on September 10, and it will come into effect when redistribution plans are passed or on the 91st day after the end of the legislature.
If the redistribution plans are passed on or before November 15, candidates would be submitted from November 29 to December 13 at 6 p.m. and the primary would be March 1 with a runoff on May 24, 2022.
If redistribution plans are passed after November 15 but on or before December 28, nominations would be from January 10 through January 24 at 6 p.m. and the primary would be on April 5 with a runoff on June 21, 2022.
If redistribution plans are passed after December 28, but on or before February 7, candidates would be submitted from February 21 to March 7 at 6 p.m., and the primary would be on May 24 with a runoff from July 26, 2022.
What potential candidates are saying
Some candidates waiting for the deadline to start are Jonathan Hildner of Killeen and the lawyer Christopher Scurry of Austin.
Hildner and Scurry have announced their intention to run for Democrats to remove Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, to the current US House of Representatives, District 31.
“I expect a controversial meeting and that the Democrats will take several unsuccessful legal steps,” Scurry said via email of what he expects at the special session.
He added that he believes there will be districts that will favor Republicans.
“As Congressman Carter improved his win margin from the 2018 election to the 2020 election, I think TX-31 will essentially stay the same, covering Williamson and Bell counties,” Scurry added.
Regarding where a new borough might go, Scurry said he anticipates one will go near Austin.
“That way, Williamson County Republicans can give some Democratic support to a district that will vote for Democrats and, in the meantime, strengthen the position of Congressman Carter,” he said.
Hildner had not responded to questions directed at him at the time of going to press.
The Democrat Donna Imam also announced her candidacy, who lost to Carter in the 2020 elections.
Imam said she believed the redistribution would have an effect similar to the voting law passed in the second convened session.
“In 2020, Killeen and Temple experienced widespread voter suppression with visibly long lines due to broken and limited voting machines, resulting in a gap of over 40% between the counties in Killeen and Temple compared to those in Belton and Salado,” said Imam via email. “Texas lawmakers responded by passing SB1, which disenfranchised voters in Bell County and across Texas – hard evidence of what will come with redistribution.”
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