SAN MARCOS — District 45 Texas State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D) and Congressman Joaquin Castro (D) listened to residents’ concerns during an Aug. 2 town hall about how proposed congressional redistricting maps could impact Hays County.
As the maps are currently drawn, the majority of Hays County is in Congressional District (CD) 21, represented by Rep. Chip Roy (R), including the cities of Dripping Springs, Woodcreek, Wimberley, Buda and Mountain City. Additionally, CD 35, represented by Rep. Greg Casar (D), includes Kyle, Niederwald, Uhland and San Marcos.
However, under the proposed redistricting, San Marcos would be pushed into CD 21 and Kyle, Buda and other cities on the east side of Hays County would be moved to CD 27, which stretches all the way to Port Aransas on the Texas coast, represented by Rep. Michael Cloud (R).
According to Zwiener, CD 35 has been historically a minority opportunity district, so with the changes, the district would not include any part of Hays County, thus losing a significant portion of its Black voting-age population. CD 21 would cut into San Marcos, diluting the voices of Hispanic and young voters, while also “splintering a growing, diverse community.”
“There will no longer be any minority opportunity districts in Hays County, despite our dense and growing Hispanic population. Stretching districts across hundreds of miles doesn’t lead to better representation; it disconnects us from the issues that matter locally,” Zwiener shared prior to the town hall. “Hays County deserves representation that reflects our communities and preserves the voices of young people, working families and communities of color.”
Echoing Zwiener’s sentiments, Castro said that redistricting will silence some of the state’s minority opportunity districts, violating the Voting Rights Act — enacted in 1965 to prohibit any racial discrimination in voting. He explained that minority opportunity districts don’t necessarily mean that the voters are going to elect a minority Democrat or a minority member of Congress, but it’s a respect for the fact that they should have an opportunity to vote for who they want.
“This decimates that and, now, the Supreme Court is taking up a case that would even further decimate it,” he said. “They're taking up a case to disallow any consideration, essentially, of Latino or African American voting rights and so, that's going to be heard here at some point in the future.”
Over the course of the town hall, members of the Hays County communities — ranging from regular citizens, parents and teachers to those who serve on school boards, in city government, environmental groups and more — had the opportunity to speak up and share their concerns with the state leaders.
One of which was Amanda Rodriguez, who serves on the San Marcos City Council and has previously worked at the Texas Capitol as a member of the redistricting committee. She shared that the current proposal is not only doing harm right now, but for many years to come.
“If you're in this room feeling like a sense of, ‘Man, what is going on?’ I feel you. Many people feel you. There's many things that the state legislature does that all of us could probably agree that seriously harms people. I'm not talking about maybe a year of harm. I'm not talking a decade of harm. It's harm, sustaining harm. But redistricting, you're talking generations apart, that to undo, many of us, including me, will likely never see in our lifetime. If there is one thing that really helps all of us wake up right now and realize that we are living in a dying democracy, please let it be this,” Rodriguez said.
“This bill will make it to the floor Monday and it has the votes. It got passed this morning [out of the committee] with flying colors, no amendments, no fight,” she continued. “There are still mechanisms in place to use … As voters, whether Rep. Zwiener’s your rep. or not, or you have another rep. wherever, if your rep. remains here for that vote, remember that they have every [right] to leave; that is the last [sliver] of hope and if you're not urging your member to do that, everything else is unserious. So, we deserve better and we can't do that without y'all getting on the phone and begging at this point.”
Cheri Large of Kyle said that for decades, CD 35 has been a place where Black, Hispanic and young voters could finally see their voices reflected in the government, but with the proposal, their voices are being deliberately silenced.
“Hays County, which has been a vital part of Congressional District 35, would be severed. Buda and Kyle, fast-growing, diverse communities, would be disconnected from our county and pulled into a sprawling district which snakes all the way to Port Aransas on the Gulf Coast. What do these communities have in common besides political convenience? Nothing. This isn't about communities of interest,” Large said. “This is about concentrating power in the hands of a few by dividing and diluting the voices of the many. The proposal would carve up San Marcos, a city rich in culture, youth and Hispanic heritage, and that's not an accident. That is a tactic. It's a tactic designed to weaken the political power of Black, Hispanic and young voters and to fracture the unity of a rising and diverse electorate.”
She continued to state that the map shows when current leadership can’t win the will of the people, they change the rules to cheat the people. Large went on to say that every single voter deserves a voice that counts.
“We demand a map that reflects communities, not political convenience. A map that protects the Voting Acts Right, not circumvents it. A map that honors democracy, not dismantles it. The lines they draw may be long, but our memory is longer and come election time, we will remember,” she said. “Stay loud, stay united and stay in the fight.”
Daniel Ayala, a San Marcos resident since 2010 and the president of the Texas Energy & Climate Caucus, said that this is not just redistricting, but an outright erasure of Texas voices. This proposal will exacerbate the environmental injustices suffered by, specifically, low-income, Black, indigenous, Hispanic and other communities of color in Hays County, according to Ayala.
“The [Environmental Protection Agency] has tools that combine demographics of economic information and data on exposure to environmental factors that create maps. Now, guess what those tools have told us. [The] communities that endure the greatest exposure to cancer risk, toxic respiratory hazards, wastewater discharge, particulate matter and other risks are what? What do y'all think? Poor communities [and] communities of color,” Ayala explained. “These maps are going to make sure that these communities don't get a say [on] who represents them and who makes the correct choices of their own health on their own behalf.”
Executive director of Mano Amiga Eric Martinez also took the stand to represent the “growing movement of Texans who are tired of being ignored, divided and disrespected right now,” along with the families who are struggling to make ends meet. He said that, simply put, the people deserve representation, not manipulation.
“They're slicing up our neighborhoods, silencing the voices of working class Texans, especially Black, brown and immigrant communities who powered this state's growth, and they're doing it with one goal: to keep control, no matter the cost to our democracy. We're told this is just politics, but it is not,” Martinez said. “This is theft. This is theft of our voice, our vote and our vision for better Texas because we know that when all of us across race, income and background can vote freely and fairly, we can win things that help everyone — affordable housing, good jobs, access to health care and safe communities that don't rely on over-policing and punishment. That's what they're afraid of.”
“They know the power we hold when we come together. That's why they're trying so hard to divide us through this racialized gerrymandering, voter suppression and lies, but we see what they're doing and we're not fooled. We deserve a government that works for all of us and not just those at the top,” he added. “That starts with fair maps, fair elections and the freedom to decide our own futures. So, let's send a message [that] we are not powerless. We are not voiceless and we are not going away. This is our Texas and we will fight for it together.”
At the conclusion of the town hall, both Zwiener and Castro urged residents to speak up, spread the word about the proposed redistricting maps and contact their elected officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott.
“Keep on fighting back. Keep on speaking up because we can stop this thing and more importantly, we can take our country in a different direction,” Castro said.
“Help your neighbors and community members understand how this is going to weaken their voice in government and, therefore, materially affect their lives. Help them understand how that's going to make it harder to get funding for their schools, to get a grocery store in their neighborhood [and] to build good roads for our growing community,” Zwiener said. “That's the message I need all of y'all to help me get out across Texas … If you have friends in other states, maybe ask them to call their governor and ask them to look at their maps. That's the second part of this process right now. So, help us spread the word about the urgency because we need not only all of Texas, but the entire country, to understand how dire things are.”
To listen to the full town hall hosted by Zwiener and Castro, visit bit.ly/47ezOed. To view the current and proposed district map, visit redistricting.capitol.texas.gov.
The Texas House was scheduled to convene at 3 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4, to discuss the draft redistricting map. However, according to Zwiener, more than 50 Texas House Democrats, including herself, broke quorum and did not go to the floor: “We anticipate there won’t be a quorum, which will stop all business of the Texas House,” Zwiener told the Hays Free Press.
Then, the Texas House voted 85-6 to track down and arrest the more than 50 Texas House Democrats who were not present on the floor. The motion, according to the House Journal, was to instruct the sergeant-at-arms, or appointed officers, to send for all absentees whose attendance is not excused for the purpose of securing and maintaining their attendance, under warrant of arrest, if necessary. This order is also to be continued beyond the adjournment of the Aug. 4 session and until further order of the Texas House.
Gov. Greg Abbott said that he has mobilized the Texas Department of Public Safety to assist in the effort to bring the absent Democratic lawmakers back to the chamber.
“Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans. By fleeing the state, Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief. There are consequences for dereliction of duty," Abbott said in a statement. "Speaker Dustin Burrows just issued a call of the Texas House and issued warrants to compel members to return to the chamber. To ensure compliance, I ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans. This order will remain in effect until all missing Democrat House members are accounted for and brought to the Texas Capitol.”
Additionally, Gov. Abbott ordered the Texas Rangers on Aug. 4 to investigate the more than 50 Texas House Democrats on potential violations of Texas law. According to Abbott's office, reports indicate that many absentee Texas House Democrats have solicited or received funds to evade conducting legislative business and casting votes.
"Under the Texas Penal Code, any of those Democrats who solicit, accept, or agree to accept such funds to assist in the violation of legislative duties or for purposes of skipping a vote may have violated bribery laws," a news release stated. "Also, it could be a bribery violation for any other person who offers, provides, or agrees to provide such funds to fleeing Democrat House members. The Texas Rangers were instructed to quickly complete the investigation and to prepare the paperwork to be sent to the appropriate prosecutors."
After the chamber failed to reach quorum for a second consecutive day, Burrows, the Texas House Speaker, adjourned the legislative body when they convened in Austin Tuesday, Aug. 5. As of press time, the House stands adjourned until 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6.
