Press release from Office of State Rep. Eddie Morales, Jr
Austin, TX — Today, the Texas House of Representatives passed unprecedented congressional redistricting to reshape our representation, divide communities, and further increase partisanship in Congress. This effort was put in front of any flood relief or property tax relief, issues that actually help our communities and fellow Texans.
Over a month ago, Central Texas faced devastating flooding that
not only took the lives of over 135 Texans, but uprooted the livelihood of thousands. Yet, to Texas leadership, the most important bill to put first was redistricting. This leaves Texans behind in pursuit of a partisan political agenda. That is unacceptable.
Texans and Americans across the nation deserve fair maps that represent their communities, not convoluted lines. To put it into perspective, the preliminary data shows that with this new map, minority voters will become even more underrepresented:
- For every 1.4 million Latino voters, there will be 1 Latino representative.
- For every 2 million Black voters, there will be 1 Black representative.
- For every 445,000 White voters, there will be 1 White representative.
The intention of this map is clear: to dilute the influence of our growing population in Texas and reduce our voice and influence in the United States Congress.
Above all, this effort will end in a domino effect. It will end with other states following suit, increasing gerrymandering and fueling the flames of division. We are the only country where politicians pick their voters, rather than a non-partisan commission with the goal of fair representation. It is well beyond time to end partisan gerrymandering in every state – Democratic and Republican alike.
It is regrettable that this is the path Texas leadership chose to take, rather than addressing the needs of Texans. I will always show up, speak out, and fight for the issues impacting everyday Texans.
