North San Antonio Edition - February 2022

ELECTIONS 2022 Redistricting shifts representation for North SanAntonio-area voters

NEWDISTRICTS The GOP-led 2021 redistricting eorts in the Texas Legislature produced slight shifts among San Antonio-area districts 20, 21 and 23, and added District 35, southeast of 21, as a new Congressional district.

BY EDMOND ORTIZ

Sen. Jose Menéndez, DSan Anto- nio, said Texas Hispanics could possibly see their voting power and electability at the state legislative and Congressional levels diluted for decades because of redistricting. “Race matters. It matters in part because of the long history of racial minorities being denied access to the political process,” Menéndez said. “Although we’ve made great strides, voting discrimination still exists and no one doubts that. Race also matters because of the persistent racial inequality that still exists in society.” Redistricting for the North San Antonio area produced shifts with three Congressional districts and two Texas Senate districts, and it created the new Congressional District 35. One Republican, District 122 State Rep. Lyle Larson of San Antonio, posted on Twitter, saying

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Some North San Antonio-area voters who will be casting ballots in local, state and national elections this year nd themselves with new elected representatives due to redis- tricting for the Texas Legislature, Bexar County Commissioners Court and North East ISD. But as legal challenges to the state’s latest redistricting eort arise, some ocials and others say redistricting and new election laws reduce com- petitiveness and discourage voters. According to the Texas Legislature Online, Gov. Greg Abbott in October approved new maps for the state’s congressional, legislative and State Board of Education districts. Texas Republicans, who control the state’s top executive oces and a majority in the legislature, led redis-

DISTRICT 23

1604

DISTRICT 21

DISTRICT 20

MAP NOT TO SCALE N

WHO REPRESENTSWHO? Districts 20, 21 and 23 are represented by Democrat Joaquin Castro, and Republicans Chip Roy and Tony Gonzales, respectively.

tricting eorts in 2021 and say the redrawn maps reect Texas’ population boom. Shifting demographics According to 2020 U.S. Census data, Texas has 29.1 million residents—a 16% increase from a 25.1 million count in the 2010 census. The 2020

“ALTHOUGHWE’VE MADE GREAT STRIDES, VOTING DISCRIMINATION STILL EXISTS AND NOONE DOUBTS THAT. RACE ALSO MATTERS BECAUSE OF THE PERSISTENT RACIAL INEQUALITY THAT STILL EXISTS IN SOCIETY.” SEN. JOSE MENÉNDEZ, DSAN ANTONIO

Texans deserve fairer redistricting. “Most Texans oppose gerrymander- ing and disagree that the party in power should be able to rig political maps,” said Larson, who is serving his nal term. Jon Taylor, political science and geography department chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 decision

DISTRICT 20 Joaquin Castro

DISTRICT 21 Chip Roy

DISTRICT 23 Tony Gonzales

SOURCE: TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATECOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

Garza and Rolando Rios, who both presented three rezoning plans to county commissioners, the approved plan ensures each county precinct is within 5% of the ideal per-precinct population of 502,331. The North East ISD board in December approved new boundaries to ensure population balance among its seven single-member districts. According to the 2020 census, NEISD’s total population is 434,037, and District 6—before redistricting— was the most populous with 72,434 residents. The approved NEISD plan has a 6.9% population deviation among the seven districts. Deb Caldwell, NEISD executive director of external relations, said NEISD grew by only 41,000 residents since 2010. “The vast majority of our voting population will vote in the same single-member district as they did in the past,” Caldwell said.

24-hour voting. “The assumption is the state wants more people to vote, yet we’ve created mechanisms and barriers that

census also shows a higher number of Texans who iden- tify themselves as Hispanic or Black. The 2020 census shows there are 11.4 million Hispanics in Texas, accounting for 39.2% of the popula- tion—an increase of 1.98 million from 2010. Texas also saw its Black popu- lation rise 19.4% from 2.88 million to 3.44 million. State Sen. Joan Human, RHous- ton, said she and fellow lawmakers “drew these maps race blind.” “We have not looked at any racial data as we drew these maps, and to this day I have not looked at any racial data,” Human said. But critics of Texas’ new political maps disagreed with Republicans leading redistricting eorts. State

discourage voting,” he said. County, school redistricting

The Bexar County Commissioners Court in November approved a new county precinct map that ocials say balances the growing North Side populations in precincts 2 and 3. The 2020 U.S. Census data shows Bexar County’s population at two million-plus, and Precinct 3 grew more than the others since 2010. Precinct 3, which covers much of the north central San Antonio area, has 552,000-plus residents. By state law, no precinct may have a population 10% larger than the smallest precinct. Before the county plan’s approval, Precinct 2 was the smallest with 463,000 residents. According to attorneys Jose

that redistricting no longer needs fed- eral preclearance made it easier for a majority political party to redrawmaps to strengthen their hold on power. Taylor said, however, a state’s changing population trends could always strengthen the minority party. “Be careful what you wish for,” Taylor said. “It’s about who’s in charge and who makes the rules.” Taylor also voiced concern that election laws passed by the Texas Legislature in 2021 are designed to make voter registration, education and mobilization harder, such as stricter identication requirements and prohibitions on drive-thru or

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