Galveston TX A Test Case For Republicans Redrawing Districts To Make Elections Irrelevant - TRMS

[Rhiannon12866]

Ari Berman, senior reporter for Mother Jones, talks with Rachel Maddow about how Republicans in Galveston, Texas, no longer encumbered by the Voting Rights Act, are redrawing voting districts to eliminate Democratic voter power, making elections an empty exercise unless Congress passes new voting rights legislation. Aired on 11/18/2021.

[TexasTowelie]

1. Local coverage from the Galveston County Daily News:

Galveston County commissioners OK redistricting map despite protest


LEAGUE CITY -- Dozens of residents crowded into a small county annex building Friday afternoon to urge, beg, lecture and warn commissioners against approving new precinct maps that dissenters called unfair, undemocratic and potentially illegal.

The protest, mostly by county Democrats and Black residents, culminated with a speech by Commissioner Stephen Holmes, the only Democrat and only minority member of the court, who said the maps would put people of his precinct at an electoral disadvantage.

“It’s about the people of Precinct 3 being able to pick the candidate of their choice,” Holmes said. “It’s not just an election, this is their life. They fought this for years.”

Holmes told the court the maps were drawn with a “discriminatory purpose” and presented his own versions of new precincts that would maintain the status quo in the county.

Read more: https://www.galvnews.com/news/free/article_cd1fe0a8-ec2d-54c4-8e85-362a87adc145.html

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Thank you!

I did think of posting this one in the Texas Group, but it was Rachel's big story.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. The Texas Civil Rights Project is joining this litigation

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