After something like 21 different chambers in state legislatures switched to GOP control in last week's election, there are 25 states where the Republicans will have complete say over congressional redistricting and just 16, maybe 17, where Democrats will, according to Tim Storey of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
"Republicans have a distinct advantage in this redistricting cycle," Storey told reporters today in Phoenix at Capitolbeat, a gathering of journalists who cover statehouses. It appears as if Republican state lawmakers will have "unilateral authority" to draw 197 U.S. House districts next year, up from 98 a decade ago and only a few dozen after the 1990 census, he said. But even though Democrats in the 1990 cycle had nearly as free a hand in drawing lines, Storey said, that didn't prevent the 1994 GOP takeover of the U.S. House. And then there's the simple demographic facts on the ground:
"Just because they have 197 where they have unilateral authority, there's still a lot of Democratic districts," he said, citing Texas, which is expected to gain three or four new congressional seats next year because of population growth.
"In Texas, they're going to have to draw Democratic districts," Storey said. "... One or two of those are probably going to have to be Democratic, because that's where the population is growing. Not that they're drawing Democratic districts, but they have to draw them where the people are."
One thing's for sure, though. It will be Republicans deciding where the one (or two) Democratic districts go.
Source: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/expert-one-or-two-of-texas-thr.html
US Secretary US Politics US Government The Power of Politics
No comments:
Post a Comment