by Ann Marie Kennon annmarie@wilcobr.com
GOVERNMENT
Passing the State Map N
ow that Governor Abbott has signed the 2020 Census Redistricting Maps into law, the state can move forward to a March 1 primary election. The Wilco Business Review sat down with Texas District 20 Representative Colonel Terry Wilson (U.S. Army-Retired) to talk about Why, How, and the process when House district boundaries are re-drawn. Rep. Wilson begins; “This is a process the House goes through every ten years. When the decennial United States census takes place, we receive an exact count of citizens in our state and where they live." The Texas Constitution mandates that the legislature draw boundaries to ensure the general—not voter—population of all State House voting districts is as close to equal as possible. The simple math divides the total population of the state by the number of House seats. The complicated math becomes necessary when population blocks grow, or shift due to commercial or industrial expansion, or both, and those changes require the application of other Constitutional rules.
CONSTITUTIONAL RULES A primary consideration in new House boundaries is the County Line Rule. The Constitution allows that any county with sufficient population for exactly one district (plus or minus 5 percent) must be formed into a single district. The lines cannot be drawn to include any amount of land of another county. Any county with a population smaller than one ideal district must be kept whole and combined with one or more contiguous counties to form a single district. Representatives must make every effort to keep counties whole to prevent gerrymandering. In the 2020 census, Williamson County showed sufficient population for three full districts. "With just 10,000 more residents," the Colonel says, "we would have had to create a fourth district that grabbed some of Williamson County and other counties added together." As it stands, House District 20 no longer includes parts of Burnet or Milam Counties. As of the 2022 election, District 20 will be wholly within Williamson County, and Rep. Wilson says he looks forward to continue serving the District.
IDEAL OR CLOSE ENOUGH
The County Line Rule was broken this year only in the case of Cameron County, which was broken into two districts. This exception was granted for the purpose of preserving minority opportunity districts; i.e., at least a 50 percent minority voting-age population.
Rep. Wilson says, "The key to the process—the core principle underlying everything we do—is that we will follow the Texas Constitution and ensure it all comes down to one person-one vote. Every person who goes to the ballot box should have an equal impact.” (See graphic, next page.)
While the County Line Rule is a rigid regulation in the State House, it is more of a preferred guideline in the Senate, where the districts are much larger. Rep. Wilson says, “It is not a law and a claimant may not take a Senate map to court just for breaking a county line.”
Through the years, with massive growth and competing government principles, the courts determined that exceptions would be necessary and allowed that, while still striving for equal numbers, district populations may fall within a 10 percent margin; i.e., they must be “close enough” with a minimum of 95 percent and maximum of 105 percent of the “ideal district.”*
He adds, “As Texas grows in certain places, it becomes more difficult to make the voting districts even while still keeping counties together. We are also prohibited from looking at racial makeup when drawing boundaries. That is why some of the district lines are irregularly shaped." He cites Hayes and Blanco Counties, and Harris County (Houston) as two distinct examples. Larger counties are more able to create equal districts without splitting votes with another; Harris County has 24 complete districts. With so many residents, it is possible to move boundaries within the
2021 • ISSUE 3 | WILCO BUSINESS REVIEW
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