By Sahar Chmais
Texas redistricting committee has drawn State Representative Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) residence out of House District 45.
Zwiener was elected to represent the district in 2018, and does not want to abandon her position.
“While I’m incredibly grateful that the I-35 corridor was kept whole, as it should be, I’m disappointed on a personal level that I was drawn out of the district,” Zwiener said. “However, I still hope to run in House District 45… I’m hopeful that we can address these drafting errors, create district lines that make sense for Hays County residents, and restore my home to District 45.”
A small portion of Wimberley south of Packsaddle Pass would be in District 45 and, in Dripping Springs ISD, some schools will be in different districts.
On average across the state, districts for state representative are drawn with around 200,000 residents per district.
Hays County’s population can no longer be contained in one House district. The proposed map will put the bulk of the county population into District 45, while District 73 will include 40,000 Hays County residents and all of Comal County.
An amendment was introduced during the Texas House of Representatives redistricting meeting, which began on Monday and ran into early Tuesday morning, to draw maps that ensure school districts and cities are kept together for common interests.
The amendment was withdrawn but will be discussed among members of the Texas House.
The redistricting map is still in the drafting process and will likely continue to change as it goes through the legislative process, before Gov. Greg Abbott signs off on the new map.
Redistricting meetings in Hays County will be live-streamed to give residents the chance to participate if they cannot go in-person.
By law, redistricting maps for state representatives are redrawn after every ten years based on census numbers. The map on the left is what has been in place since 2011 and the map on the right is the proposed map. The Texas Redistricting Committee will continue negotiations. District 45 is in blue and District 73 is in green.
