Group desires sanity in redistricting process

Press release from Texans for Redistricting Reform:

TEXANS DESERVE A FAIR REDISTRICTING PLAN

According to The Texas Legislative Council, "No Texas constitutional or statutory provisions address congressional redistricting." The only restraints on congressional redistricting result from rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court requiring equal population in the districts and the federal Voting Rights Act protecting minority populations.

No bills establishing comprehensive fair redistricting principles have been passed for the last 30 years. The results have been costly litigation and decades of partisan excesses, such as political gerrymandering and super majorities, leading to decreased voter interest and lower voter participation in elections for both parties.

Every Texan deserves an equal opportunity to cast an effective vote, regardless of political affiliation, race or language group. Please ask your Texas legislators to support a Congressional plan (and future legislation) based on fair redistricting principles as summarized below:

• Respect Texas’ geographic regions as defined by its 24 Councils of Governments
• Create geographically compact districts
• Do not unnecessarily split counties or cities
• Do not unnecessarily split communities of interest
• Do not split census tracts, smallest unit for redistricting
• Do not use any partisan data, including homes of incumbents

Texans for Redistricting Reform is a nonpartisan group of Texans dedicated to providing fair and effective representation for the people of Texas through the legislative enactment of fair redistricting principles and a fair redistricting plan based on these principles. We wholeheartedly endorse the legislation¹ and redistricting plan² prepared by A. J. Pate, CPA.

A. J. Pate, CPA has spent the last 20 years fighting for fair redistricting and is one of only two Texans who have submitted redistricting plans for consideration in past Legislatures, including the "Owens-Pate 1991 Redistricting Plan" cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark case of Bush v. Vera (1996). Additional citations and legislation are available upon request.

For more information, please contact:

Texans for Redistricting Reform and A. J. Pate Email: txredistricting@gmail.com

Also, see us on Facebook at  Texans for Redistricting Reform