A series of mistakes in the redistricting process -- stretching all the way back to the legislative session earlier this year -- is keeping a lot of lawyers and judges busy these days. But Texas voters, particularly Hispanics, have been left out in the cold.
The U.S. Supreme Court has an opportunity to rectify some of the problems, but the attorney general's mishandling of the case has already caused the March 6 primary to be delayed by almost a month and injected plenty of confusion into the primary election process -- both for voters and potential candidates.
The missteps began during the legislative session, when the Legislature approved state legislative and congressional redistricting plans that a panel of federal judges later tossed out for violating the Voting Rights Act.
Map makers ignored the results of the 2010 Census, which showed a dramatic increase in the number of Hispanics in Texas. According to the Census, the percentage of Latinos rose from 32 percent to 38 percent from 2000 to 2010, and 89 percent of the nearly 4.3 million new Texans were non-Anglo.
Three federal judges in San Antonio found fault not only with the congressional map, but the new political boundaries for the Texas House and Senate as well. The panel provided its own plans, which created additional opportunities for Latino voters, but the attorney general sought and won a stay from the Supreme Court. Oral arguments are scheduled for Jan. 9.