1/ Who you get to vote for to represent you is based on which districts you live in.

Texas lawmakers will soon start changing those districts to account for population growth.

It’s a complicated process that will have huge political implications for the next 10 years. #txlege
2/ Every decade, a national census is conducted to count every resident in the country.

The new population counts are used to determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives and to draw new congressional and state legislative maps.
3/ The point is to draw roughly equally populated districts to reflect population growth and guarantee equal representation — and usually for the party in control to solidify their majority. bit.ly/3iWjDHf
4/ Unlike the U.S. House, the Texas Legislature has a fixed number of seats — 31 in the Senate and 150 in the House.

So Texas’ legislative districts change every 10 years, but the total number of lawmakers doesn’t. bit.ly/3iWjDHf
5/ In addition to U.S. Congress and #txlege, the State Board of Education and state judicial districts undergo redistricting after the census.

So do some local governmental bodies like city councils, county commissioners courts and school district boards. bit.ly/3iWjDHf
6/ When redistricting begins, legislators are supposed to work together to draw the maps fairly and equally.

But oftentimes, representatives move lines to protect themselves or put those in the opposition at a disadvantage — an act called gerrymandering. bit.ly/36kZgi7
7/ Typically, powerful members and those in the majority have more of a say in the process than members in the minority.

Since state Republicans held onto their 20-year majority in Texas, they’re positioned to further entrench their power until 2031’s redistricting.
8/ Their majority also extends to the Legislative Redistricting Board.

The board is a five‐member body of state officials, including the lieutenant governor and speaker of the house, that draws the maps when #txlege can’t agree on them. bit.ly/2YpBT2s
9/ According to recent court findings, the cost of Republican entrenchment has been the repeated disenfranchisement of voters of color as the GOP-controlled Legislature drew maps that diluted their voting strength. bit.ly/3t3JQIF
10/ Typically, redistricting is carried out during the regular legislative session — which starts in January and ends in May — once lawmakers receive detailed census results around mid-February.

But the pandemic and legal battles delayed census counting. bit.ly/3iUE8Ep
11/ Due to the delays, the Census Bureau revealed this week that the detailed results lawmakers need likely won’t be available until at least two months after the 2021 #txlege session ends.

This means redistricting will happen in a special session. bit.ly/3ckPyjB
12/ President Joe Biden plans to include undocumented immigrants in the state-by-state census tallies, reversing former President Donald Trump’s efforts to exclude them from being counted when congressional seats are divvied up. bit.ly/2Me3zEX
13/13 To learn more about how the redrawing of political maps will impact Texas politics for the next ten years, join us on Instagram on Jan. 29 at noon Central for the next installment of our series explaining the Texas Legislature. bit.ly/3iUDwhY On the left: Title of the event is "The Texas Legislatu

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Texas Tribune

Texas Tribune Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @TexasTribune

30 Jan
Federal officials can resume the immediate deportations of unaccompanied migrant children at the border, a federal appellate court ruled Friday.

But it’s unclear if President Joe Biden’s administration will implement that Trump-era policy. From @Law360: law360.com/publicpolicy/a…
Trump’s administration began the practice last year, citing the risk that children could be carrying the coronavirus. But by the time the kids were on planes back home, they’d already tested negative. texastribune.org/2020/08/10/cor…
A federal judge in November said the Trump administration had to stop pushing migrant children back to their home countries without legal screenings or protections. texastribune.org/2020/11/18/imm…
Read 5 tweets
26 Jan
1/ School officials at Texas universities pledged to address racial injustices on campuses after a summer of racial reckoning.

But eight months later, many students of color say most of their demands have been ignored. bit.ly/3a1rKOM
2/ Among other demands, students wanted:
• Rice University to remove a statue of its founder, a former slave owner
• UT to stop playing it’s alma mater song, which has ties to minstrel shows
• Texas A&M to remove the statue of a Confederate general and state governor
3/ None of those changes have happened.

Black students said the buildings and statues that remain serve as a reminder that they attend schools that weren’t intended to serve them. bit.ly/3a1rKOM
Read 9 tweets
21 Jan
1/ Dallas County officials halted a plan that would have prioritized COVID-19 vaccine doses for people living in the most vulnerable ZIP codes after Texas threatened to cut the county’s vaccine supply. bit.ly/39PUx8R
2/ In Texas and across the nation, communities of color have been hardest hit by the coronavirus, and health officials are grappling with how to ensure equity in the vaccine rollout. bit.ly/39PUx8R
3/ In Dallas, as in other major Texas cities, distribution sites are more commonly located in white neighborhoods.

Early data showed the North Texas county had distributed most of its shots to residents of whiter, wealthier neighborhoods. bit.ly/39PUx8R
Read 7 tweets
12 Jan
The 2021 session of the Texas Legislature begins today.

There is still uncertainty around how it will be conducted during a pandemic and after the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

Follow this thread for what you need to know ⬇️ #txlege bit.ly/35z3DWk
2/ First: COVID-19 protocols.

Both the Texas House and Senate have instituted some precautions for lawmakers and invited guests in each chamber today.
3/ But the full picture of what safety guidelines will be in place for both chambers beyond opening day is unclear.

Two House Democrats have already said they will not attend opening day, calling the gathering a “superspreader event.” bit.ly/2LrKKxx
Read 9 tweets
5 Jan
1/ Across Texas, people are lining up — sometimes for hours — to get the coronavirus vaccine.

Health care workers, people over 65-years-old and people over the age of 16 with chronic medical conditions are all eligible to receive the vaccine.

Photo by Ben Torres. A man carrying carrying an oxygen machine, left, waits in li
2/ Darryl Moree, 53, got the vaccine Tuesday at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“I have children and I believe in science. That’s why. I have underlying conditions. I’m the main caretaker for my father.”

Photo by Ben Torres. Darryl Moree, 53, sits in a observation section after receiv
3/ Paul Johnson, 86, is from Weslaco and said he got in line at 2 a.m. at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show Grounds in Mercedes, Texas.

Johnson said he heard about the event on the news and "pretty much expected the waiting."

Photo by @spaceongarza.
Read 5 tweets
24 Dec 20
The number of people hospitalized in Texas for COVID-19 is nearing July's record highs ahead of Christmas. bit.ly/38wFSyR
President Donald Trump has suggested he will veto COVID-19 aid legislation, creating uncertainty about when assistance may reach Americans.

Meanwhile, some Texans are living in cars and anxiously awaiting news on an expansion of pandemic aid. bit.ly/2JhX5U2
People across Texas are struggling to navigate a maze-like system to get the benefits they are entitled to.

Here are the answers to the most common questions about getting benefits from the Texas Workforce Commission. bit.ly/34JiPQi
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!