redistricting

TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Evan Smith Nov. 19, 2011

Aaronson on the sharp rise in the number of Texans on food stamps, Aguilar investigates the Black Market Peso Exchange, Grissom on the humbling of John Bradley, Hamilton on the tweet heard round the world, Ramsey and Murphy on the newest redistricting maps, Ramsey on why Formula 1 screeched to a halt, Ramshaw and Tan scrutinize Rick Perry's attack on congressional insider trading, Root on Perry's plan for a "part-time citizen Congress" and M. Smith on already ugly State Board of Ed races: The best of our best content from November 14-18, 2011. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
The Brief: Nov. 18, 2011

By David Muto Nov. 18, 2011

Revised voting maps released Thursday may have handed Democrats what's become the rarest of rarities for the party in Texas: a significant victory. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Not Every Race Will Be a Contest — by Design

By Ross Ramsey Nov. 18, 2011

Federal judges proposed new political maps for the state late Thursday and hope to have new congressional and legislative maps in place for Texas on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Chris Chang
Judicial Cartography

By Ross Ramsey and Ryan Murphy Nov. 17, 2011

A panel of federal judges in San Antonio proposed new redistricting maps for the Texas Senate and the Texas House late Thursday, asking for comments by noon on Friday. They're trying to finish maps before candidates start filing on November 28 — a date set by the court. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Chris Chang
Federal Judges Propose Maps for Texas Legislative Races

By Ross Ramsey and Ryan Murphy Nov. 17, 2011

A panel of federal judges in San Antonio proposed new redistricting maps for the Texas Senate and the Texas House late this afternoon. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Chris Chang
Inside Intelligence: Oops, Before and After

By Ross Ramsey Nov. 10, 2011

Rick Perry's "oops" moment was costly in our survey of political and government insiders, and we also took soundings on third-party candidates, court-drawn political maps, and the strength of the Tea Party. Full Story
Federal Judges Will Draw New Political Maps for Texas

By Ross Ramsey Nov. 8, 2011

Next year's congressional and legislative elections in Texas will probably be conducted using political maps drawn by federal judges instead of those drawn by lawmakers. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Will Redistricting Court Battles Create Electoral Confusion?

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 10, 2011

The redrawing of political district lines — which ideally happens just once a decade after a federal census — could create a series of crazy election cycles for Texas voters and candidates. It happened in the 1990s, and it could happen again now. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Drawing Contingency Maps

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 6, 2011

The federal redistricting panel in San Antonio is sharpening its crayons and asking the pack of lawyers in that case to make suggestions about corrective maps. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Evan Smith Oct. 1, 2011

Aaronson on the shrinking of state government, Aguilar on the controversy over in-state tuition for the children of undocumented immigrants, Galbraith on Rick Perry vs. the EPA, Grissom on a startling development in a 25-year-old murder case, Hamilton on Ken Starr's first year as president of Baylor, Ramsey on what inmates have to do with redistricting, Ramshaw on the state's crisis in insurance coverage, Root on Perry's presidential grind dance and Smith on obstacles to addressing childhood obesity: The best of our best content from Sept. 26-30, 2011. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Prisoners Don't Vote, but They Sometimes Count

By Ross Ramsey Sept. 30, 2011

Texas prison inmates can’t vote, so most counties ignore them. But they can change the value of your votes for Congress and the state Legislature. Full Story

Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller
An Eye on the Calendar

By Ross Ramsey Sept. 30, 2011

The state probably won't have political maps for federal and state legislators until November and possibly December, crowding the filing-fundraising-campaigning cycle into the holidays and perilously close to the March primaries. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Federal Court to Texas Election Officials: Wait

By Elizabeth Titus Sept. 29, 2011

State officials in Texas can hold off on election preparations, a federal court said Thursday, but with Texas' political maps still in limbo, they also didn't get a new set of deadlines to help them get ready for the 2012 elections. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
In the Map Rooms

By Ross Ramsey Sept. 23, 2011

The Justice Department didn't find fault (put an asterisk here) with the Senate and State Board of Education redistricting maps from Texas, but told a federal court in Washington, DC, that it thinks the maps for the congressional delegation and for the Texas House go backwards in minority representation. Full Story

Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune
The Texas Weekly Index: March Fights, November Peace

By Ross Ramsey and Ryan Murphy Sept. 21, 2011

General elections in Texas will be less competitive than ever under the redistricting maps approved by the Legislature earlier this year. The political threats to incumbents, if any, will come in primaries and not in general elections. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
Feds: Proposed Texas Maps Undermine Minority Voting Rights

By Ross Ramsey Sept. 20, 2011

The U.S. Justice Department said Monday that new political maps for the Texas House and the state's congressional delegation don't protect the electoral power of the state's minority populations as required by the federal Voting Right Act. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
Maps Ensure Melees in March, Peace in November

By Ross Ramsey Sept. 16, 2011

General elections in Texas will be less competitive than ever under the redistricting maps approved by the Legislature earlier this year. The takeaway is simple: Texas has a strongly Republican map and the political threats to incumbents, if any, will come in primaries and not in general elections. Full Story

Credit: Erik Hersman
The Texas Weekly Index

By Ross Ramsey and Ryan Murphy Sept. 15, 2011

Lots of things affect election outcomes. Candidates. Money. Issues. Surprises. But some of the results are wired into district maps, through redistricting. Here's our charting of the political atmosphere — Republican or Democratic — in each of the House, Senate and congressional districts drawn by the Legislature this year. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Court Cartography

By Ross Ramsey Sept. 8, 2011

Don't expect a redistricting ruling out of San Antonio quickly. Some of the lawyers — and this requires more lawyers than a Hollywood divorce — say the Texas judges might hold their ruling until the DC courts are finished. That could be November, or even December. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Challenge to Texas Redistricting Opens in Federal Court

By Ross Ramsey Sept. 6, 2011

The state's new political maps are now in the hands of the federal government. An army of lawyers lined up before the start of federal hearings on Tuesday, lugging boxes of papers and briefcases bulging with the scribbled notes and other arguments they'll present over the next two weeks. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman