Unit of Study: Gerrymandering
Court says Texas congressional districts gerrymandered to hurt minorities
Synopsis: In Texas, Republican legislatures have been known to draw district lines in order to prevent minority votes from growing more influential. It was found that three congressional districts in Texas were affected by gerrymandering. Even though they found this problem, no solution has been proposed but will most likely result in redrawing the district lines. The congressional redistricting plan was drawn by the legislature in 2011, the same year that then-Gov. Rick Perry (R) signed a voter ID law that a federal appeals court ultimately found discriminates against minorities. Three judges agreed that minorities such as Latinos and many Spanish-speaking people were packed into these districts but none of the judges could decide if this was racial gerrymandering or simply partisan gerrymandering.
I find it strange that there was not a presented resolution given to Texas legislatures for proper redistricting. It was obvious to me that the lines were drawn around specific races and that this case is strictly based on racial gerrymandering. If nothing is done for the citizens, they may decide to go through the litigation process and demand the equal representation they deserve. Racial gerrymandering can really affect a legislator if they do get in trouble. When they go up for re-election, people (especially minorities) will not vote for them to be re-elected for office.
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