Proposed Census Delays Could Impact Redistricting

The Trump Administration may be seeking to delay key Census deadlines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Commerce Secretary Wilber Ross said in a call with several members of Congress that Census field operations would be suspended until June 1, according to a...

Recent Election News for New Year’s Eve Eve

We have updated our Crib Sheets to remove Republican and Democratic candidates who did not file by the deadline. We have left in place a couple of candidates who are challenging administrative determinations that they are ineligible to seek the office for which they...

Texas Avoids ‘Bail In’ and Other News for July 24

A panel of federal judges overseeing the long-running litigation over the state’s legislative and congressional districts has denied plaintiffs’ motions to put Texas back under a federal preclearance regime before making changes to districts or election laws....

Castro Passing on Cornyn Challenge and Other News for May 2

SEN: U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio), who weeks ago seemed poised to enter the race, is no longer expected challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R). He indicated to a Hearst reporter that he was “gonna pass” on the Senate race and if he ran for another office, it...

HD90 Must Be Redrawn for 2020

A three-judge federal court in San Antonio ruled that HD90 must be redrawn to address “unconstitutional racial gerrymandering” but not until after the 2018 general election. The district is represented by Rep. Ramon Romero (D-Fort Worth), who is unopposed for...

SD19 Campaign Finance Update and Other News for July 3

SD19 special: Rep. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) and former Rep. and U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Alpine) are runaway leaders in campaign fundraising, according to campaign finance reports filed on or by Monday. In fact, Gutierrez has out-raised the rest of the field...

SCOTUS Upholds All but One Texas District

By a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court largely determined that the state’s redistricting maps were lawful, save for HD90 in Tarrant Co., and that the Legislature did not intentionally discriminate when drawing them. The Court ruled that the lower three-judge court...

SCOTUS Punts Partisan Gerrymandering Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court punted on the merits of partisan gerrymandering cases from Wisconsin and Maryland, ruling instead on narrow grounds of standing and process. The Court remanded the Wisconsin case back to the district court, and it affirmed a lower court’s...