HISTORY OF GERRYMANDERING IN TEXAS—In 1992 and 2004 gerrymandering gave an unfair advantage to one party. Using these tactics to gain control devalues the democratic process.

Wentworth Bill To Address Gerrymandering In Texas

Gerrymandering is common practice in politics, but over the last few decades it has become more and more acceptable. In order to keep political advantages parties redraw voting district lines, knowing that by sectioning off certain communities they will gain more seats in the legislature.

TexPIRG opposes such measures, as gerrymandering stifles real debate, stacking the deck for the incumbent, who can win without having to gain the support of undecided voters.

State Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) has declared his intention to continue his long-standing effort to create a bi-partisan commission to handle congressional redistricting.

For a long time, the state of Texas has been bedeviled by the question of how to make the process of congressional redistricting fair and equitable. Invariably, the party which controls the Legislature has used its redistricting power to maximize its partisan advantage.

It’s easy to recall the drama of the 2003 political battle over redistricting in Texas, which gained national attention.

Pushed by then-Rep. Tom DeLay, then Majority Leader in the U.S. House, Texas Republicans enacted an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting effort, even though the state had already gone through redistricting just two years before. In an attempt to block the plan, Texas Democrats bolted the state, taking refuge in Ardmore, Oklahoma, to break the quorum in the State House.

Despite the best efforts of the Democrats, DeLay’s plan did eventually pass, and several new Texas Republicans were elected to Congress. Throughout the fight, Texas Republicans made no secret that their only objective was to elect more Republicans. In the end, Republicans gained 66 percent of the congressional seats, even though they won only 58 percent of the vote.

The Texas Democrats cried foul, but many argue that they had little right to complain. The last time the Democrats completely controlled the redistricting process in Texas, in 1991, they also produced a map slanted in their favor. In the 1992 elections, the Democrats ended up with 70 percent of the congressional seats, even though they only won about 50 percent of the vote, barely more than the Republicans.

Finding Solutions
To solve the problem of redistricting, Sen. Wentworth has long advocated the creation of an independent, bi-partisan commission of citizens to handle the process.

Democrats and Republicans would be represented equally on the commission, and strict conflict-of-interest provisions would be in place.

Furthermore, if Wentworth’s bill became law, no redistricting plan could purposefully favor or discriminate against any political party or other group; no longer would legislators be able to craft maps designed specifically to elect the largest number of congressmen from their own party.

In 2005, Wentworth’s bill passed in the Senate but died in committee in the House, where Chairman Joe Crabb (R-Kingwood) refused to hold hearings on the issue. But as public support for redistricting reform grows, members of the Legislature are under increasing pressure to take action.

Wentworth hopes that 2007 will be the year that his bill will pass both houses and be signed into law.

The redistricting process will always be messy. No plan will ever leave everyone satisfied, but Wentworth’s bill would correct a number of problems with the way Texas draws its congressional districts and is a big step in the right direction.