One of the biggest challenges to being an optimistic professor teaching Texas politics comes with redistricting. I spend a lot of time trying to convince students that politicians are often guided more by principle than partisanship.
And then redistricting comes along.
The initial redistricting proposal from the Texas legislature is pretty ugly. Travis county is divided into 5 different districts. One district (10) ranges from west Austin to western Harris county. Meanwhile, District 36 (below) is a horseshoe-shaped mess that loops up from northwestern Houston, up and over Lufkin, and then diving back down to snare part of Orange county on the Louisiana border.
Meanwhile, no incumbents were paired off against each other. Clearly, legislators have decided they care much more about representing partisan interests than the needs of the communities they represent.
***Update***
Now that I look at it, District 36 is more mullet-shaped than horseshoe-shaped. Am I the only one who thinks that it is a bad for your legislative districts look like characters from Squidbillies?
Filed under: Elections in Texas, Parties, The Legislature |
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