GOP redistricting efforts continue

Texas isn't the only place the GOP is attempting a mid-decade redistricting ploy. GOP lawsuits in Georgia and Colorado are attempting much of what DeLay is trying to accomplish in Texas.

Check out this great update on the Colorado situation over at the Political State Report. In short, there's a lot of legal wrangling going on.

Now, it looks as though Democrats may be more willing to play hardball.

Texas Senate Democrats warn that if redistricting passes in Texas, the result could be a wave of gerrymandering efforts across the nation as Democratic states tweak their district lines to regain congressional balance.

The Texas 11, harbored in New Mexico, a Democratic state, have met with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who said that he will consider another redistricting session in New Mexico if the Republican-led effort passes in Texas.

Of course, New Mexico is a gnat compared to mighty Texas, but Dems could spark similar redistricting battles in states like Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan or, heck, even California.

Of course, the Constitutionality of mid-decade redistricting efforts is suspect (I would argue it's blatantly unconstitutional), but that's exactly what the GOP is attempting in all three states. If the courts give the go-ahead to such tactics, all hell will break loose, and control of the US House will hinge on redistricting battles waged at the state level after each and every election cycle.

This silliness needs to end now.

Posted August 05, 2003 08:46 AM