State

The Texas Legislature began its 30-day special session Monday, July 21st with a full agenda of issues that could directly affect the lives of Texans — from public education to flood relief measures to THC regulation to reproductive health care. However, much of the political focus is being directed toward a highly unusual mid-decade redistricting effort led by Governor Greg Abbott and Republican lawmakers. Redistricting efforts normally occur after the census when accurate population data can inform these efforts. This move could shift several congressional seats in their favor. Advocates for fair representation are raising alarms, warning that these changes may further dilute the voting power of minority communities and deepen partisan gerrymandering at the expense of democratic accountability.

Watch the session as it was gaveled in here. The session will end on August 19th.

Here’s what the Texas Tribune is watching this special session.

Here are some actions we can take against this redistricting:

• We can CONTACT our State House Representatives and let them know we are opposed to this. State Representative Cody Vasut of District 25, right here in Brazoria County, is actually the chair of the House Redistricting Committee. Give him a call at 512-463-0564. Find all of the phone numbers for our Brazoria County state representatives at this link.
• We can SUPPORT our House Democratic Caucus, if they choose to break quorum to stop this plan. Breaking quorum comes with what could end up being millions of dollars in fines and expenses, and not every Democratic representative is in a strong financial position to take on those expenses. Check out their special session website and see how you can help, monetarily or otherwise.
• We can LEARN about how to continue to strengthen our voices and our communities in the face of all of this. There is a webinar hosted by National Redistricting Foundation on August 7th just for this purpose, and you can register here if you’d like to join.
• We can SPEAK OUT at any of the public hearings being held on the redistricting effort. One of them is being held at the University of Houston this coming Saturday, July 26th, at 11:00 AM. Add this Google Calendar event to your calendar.