What’s redistricting, and why does it matter? Texas will soon craft legislative maps

Every 10 years after the new census count is complete, lawmakers draw the state’s political boundaries, a process known as redistricting.

Usually the task — which one expert described as “the most purely political” job of legislators — is done earlier in the year. Because of COVID-19-related census delays, legislators are scheduled to oversee redistricting during a special legislative session that starts on Monday. It’s then they’ll craft Texas’ state legislative, U.S. House of Representatives and State Board of Education districts.

Here’s what to know about redistricting in Texas.

Why does redistricting matter?

Redistricting creates the legislative boundaries in which you and your neighbors vote and ultimately factors into who represents you in government and policy decisions. Where those lines are drawn can take many shapes.

“Obviously you can greatly advantage one political party over another,” said TCU political science professor Jim Riddlesperger. “You can protect incumbents so they wont be defeated, or you can make incumbents you don’t like vulnerable to being defeated. And so, all of that will be going into play when the legislature meets.”

Texas has 150 seats in the state House and 31 seats in the state Senate. There are 15 State Board of Education districts, and after redistricting Texas will have 38 congressional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

How does redistricting work?

Before lawmakers can start the redistricting process, they must have the latest census figures. Legislators use these population counts to inform the drawing of their maps. The lawmakers have already begun holding hearings with members of the public to get input.

Once the special session starts, legislators will begin considering specific maps. Redistricting bills take the same path through the legislature as other bills. After they’re filed, they’re heard in committee before going to the floor of the chamber they were filed in. Proposals then go through the same process in the other chamber. Once approved by the House and Senate, they go to the governor.

Congressional and State Board of Education maps can be introduced in the Senate or House. House and Senate maps are typically introduced in their respective chambers, according to the state’s redistricting website.

How to get involved in the redistricting process

The House and Senate have been holding public hearings leading up to the Sept. 20 special session. Continued hearings are expected as the process continues. The House and Senate committees tasked with considering redistricting legislation have been taking virtual testimony from members of the public at recent hearings.

More information about upcoming meetings and testifying is available on the House and Senate websites.

Members of the House Redistricting Committee from Tarrant County include Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, and Rep. Chris Turner, D-Fort Worth. Senate members from Tarrant County include Rep. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, and Rep. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills.

Will the courts get involved?

Whether the courts get involved in the state’s maps once configured remains to be seen, but historically Texas has found itself in court. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider a Texas case related to partisan gerrymandering. Maps from 2013 that were drawn following challenges to the 2011 maps were allowed to stand by the court, except for Fort Worth’s House District 90, which was found to have been racially gerrymandered.

Riddlesperger doubts maps drawn during the latest redistricting cycle will be taken up by the Supreme Court for challenges related to partisan or racial gerrymandering.

“Racial gerrymandering is unlikely to be reviewed,” he said. “They have reviewed political redistricting in recent years, but again, those decisions suggest that they are going to give wide discretion to state legislatures as to how they go about redistricting, even on partisan grounds.”

At least one lawsuit has already been filed related to the redistricting process. Two Texas Democratic senators argue in federal district court that the drawing of state House and Senate districts must be done in a regular session and can’t take place in a special session. Lawmakers wrapped up the regular session in May before the census figures needed for redistricting were ready.

The court hasn’t weighed in on the lawmakers’ case. The lawmakers are asking the court to handle drawing the districts.

Will North Texas get a new congressional seat?

The number of Texas House and Senate seats and State Board of Education seats remain the same, but Texas is slated to get two new congressional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. It’s unclear where those two seats will go, but experts have said North Texas is a likely candidate given the region’s population growth. Other potential locations include the Houston area or the Austin-San Antonio corridor.

Have questions about the redistricting process? Email edearman@star-telegram.com.