Perry’s Redistricting Plan Set Texas Back Decades, Claims Legislator

By Mike Hothi

During a telephone conference Tuesday, Texas State Rep. Trey Fischer (D) charged that Governor Rick Perry’s redistricting plan hurt minorities and undid years of progress in the state.

“[It] took us back a couple decades,” Fischer said.

District maps redrawn and passed by the legislature in Texas have come under scrutiny from federal officials, who are set to hold a hearing on the redistricting plan on Wednesday. The Justice Department concluded that the plans violated the Voting Rights Act by not recognizing the growth of minority communities.

“You have a 5.1 (million) growth in the state of Texas where 89 percent of all that growth was minority, 65 percent alone was latino,” Fischer said.”(The redistricting plan) produced a map that preserved a political majority at the expense of the demographic majority that changed the state.”

Fischer added, “Not one of those seats that were drawn would bring an additional minority Democrat or Republican… to the Texas House of Representatives.”