After exhaustive testimony before the House Redistricting Committee both in Houston and
After exhaustive testimony before the House Redistricting Committee both in Houston and Austin, representatives of the Texas Asian American Redistricting Initiative (TAARI) have serious concerns about the initial draft plan released yesterday by the House Redistricting Committee. Among the group’s targeted areas, there were few glimmers of hope:
Harris County
There is grave concern with the removal of District 149, which has grown to become a multi- ethnic district since it was drawn in 2001. As outlined in initial testimony to the House Redistricting Committee, the demographics of Alief have become significantly different than they were a decade ago. This plan has also resulted in breaking up Alief, a community of interest in southwest Harris County, into four districts that includes the Alief Independent School District, the International Management District and City of Houston Super neighborhood.
“Removal of this district is unacceptable,” says TAARI Director, Rogene Gee Calvert. “We are concerned that the Asian community of interest is split into five different districts under the initial plan, as has been the case for other Asian Towns thereby diluting their political strength and making accountability difficult to enforce.”
Other minority coalition groups have joined in to urge Chairman Solomons to restore the only minority coalition district in Harris County. A coalition group, including TAARI and the NAACP of Houston, will send a letter to House Redistricting Chairman Burt Solomons with a copy to House Speaker Joe Straus, urging that this multi-ethnic coalition district be restored in the final redistricting map or else they will explore legal recourse.
“The initial state map is violating federal law as a result of diluting minority representation,” declared TAARI consultant Mustafa Tameez. “We must identify what available legal options exist to reinstate District 149.”
Dallas County
As suggested in testimony, the plan created District 115 on the northwest side of the county. While there is concern with the division of the Asian community in the northeast side, TAARI will defer to the incumbent elected official in offering suggestions for improvement in that area.
Collin County
TAARI officials are pleased to see the Asian population in several communities maintained. While the diffused nature of the county’s Asian population makes it unlikely to expect a single district that could maximize the voting strength of the county’s Asian population, there is confidence that the districts proposed create sufficient voice for the community within each district.
Travis County
House Districts 47, 49, and 50 fracture the large Asian community along the northern border of the county substantially. TAARI officials urge the House Redistricting Committee to review and improve.
Fort Bend County
While the Asian voting strength created in District 26 is a positive move, the division of numerous local communities of interest is disruptive. The House Redistricting Committee could maintain a strong voting position for Asians in two districts with more compact district boundaries.