Redistricting is a highly partisan exercise, but there’s likely to be more at work than mere politics in 2011. Shifts in the state’s population and demographics will play a large part in shaping where new congressional and legislative boundaries are set.
redistricting
Posted in
University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
We Like It Better Here
A majority of Texans believe the state is on the right track, while a plurality thinks the country is on the wrong track, according to a new University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
Posted in
Health care
Rick Perry: The TT Interview
A Newsweek/Texas Tribune exclusive: The governor talks about the Tea Party, his beef with the federal government, health care reform, the state budget, redistricting, and whether he plans to run for the White House himself.
Posted in
Health care
A Conversation with Rick Perry
A Newsweek/Texas Tribune exclusive: The Governor of Texas talks about the Tea Party, his beef with the federal government, health care reform, Mexico, the state budget, redistricting, whether he’s an insider or an outsider, what he thinks about the presidency of George W. Bush, and — while we’re on the topic — whether he plans to run for the White House himself … and his answer could not be more definitive.
Posted in
Demographics
HuTube: A Census Message from Karl Rove
Check out Census 2010’s latest pitchman, Karl Rove. The man known as Bush’s Brain draws on his appreciation for James Madison to sell the Census to those who haven’t mailed in their forms yet.
Posted in
Demographics
TribBlog: A Redistricting Compromise?
Republican and Democratic members of the Texas congressional delegation are discussing a possible compromise designed to cool off the overheated politics of congressional redistricting by dividing the expected spoils once U.S. Census figures are in and the reapportionment process begins in 2011, two members of the delegation say.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Down for the Count
As of Friday, three-quarters of Texans hadn’t returned their census forms. Only five states have a worse rate of participation so far.
Posted inState Government
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 21
The TribCast gang is back together again to talk about health care reform’s effect on Texas, the redistricting fight coming up for the next legislature, and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison: Should she just stay in the Senate until 2012?
Posted in
Demographics
Redistricting Reality
In 2011, political mapmakers will take the latest census numbers (Texas is expected to have a population of more than 25 million) and use them to draw new congressional and legislative districts. The last time this was done, in 2003, Republican mappers took control of the U.S. House by peeling away seats from the Democrats. This time, Texas is poised to add up to four seats to its congressional delegation — and early numbers indicate bad news ahead for West Texas and other areas that haven’t kept up with the state’s phenomenal growth.
Posted in
Demographics
Census and Sensibility
“You want a good count both because you want to have your representation and because you want to get the resources your community needs,” says demographer Steve Murdock.
