Introducing the Legislative Redistricting Board
All On The Line started this series to shine a light on the backroom board of five politicians who could have control of Texas' state legislative redistricting process ahead of important elections in 2022.
Last month, we introduced you to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick -- one of the most hostile opponents of universal vote-by-mail.
This month, meet
indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton -- a man who said that a "fear of contracting COVID-19 does not amount to a sickness or physical condition" that warrants a mail-in ballot.
Who is Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and why is he a threat to fair maps?
Ken Paxton may enforce the law in Texas --
but it seems like he has a hard time following rules himself. Instead of making it easier for folks to vote during the pandemic, Paxton figured the best use of his time is to do the opposite.
His office is locked in legal fights to prevent the state from greenlighting rules that would make it easier for voters to cast their ballots. Worst of all? He said his office would prosecute those who cite the pandemic as a reason to vote-by-mail.
Did he not see the
numerous studies that found that vote-by-mail doesn't benefit one party over the other?
Paxton's open disdain for making voting easier doesn't exactly qualify him to be a neutral arbiter of electoral maps drawn in a backroom with four other like-minded politicians. As we ramp up our outreach efforts to prevent unaccountable, ideological partisan politicians in states like Texas from manipulating the maps, can we count on you to chip in to help sustain our efforts for the battle ahead?
So why is A.G. Paxton on the LRB?
Great question. We're not super excited about partisan politicians gathering in a backroom to hammer out electoral maps, regardless of who they are. The concept is flawed as designed in Texas. But it's especially flawed when A.G. Paxton is one of the five folks in the room.
If conservatives like Paxton and his buddy, and fellow LRB member Lt. Gov Dan Patrick really cared about fraud in elections, they would start by making sure folks who oversee the electoral maps for the next decade aren't under charges of fraud themselves. Patrick, by the way, has even used mail-in voting himself.
Why does this matter?
If the board is convened to draw district lines, all five of its members will be conservative Republicans, just like A.G. Paxton and Lt. Gov. Patrick.
Putting them in a room to redraw the maps probably isn't going to work out well for the people of Texas. The board will likely try to manipulate the maps with no transparency, oversight, or accountability. It's a recipe sure to result in conservative control for at least another decade. Let that sink in -- then help us fight back!
All On The Line's success depends on educating people about these sorts of smoke-filled backrooms -- and stopping them early by bringing light and transparency into the process. Will you chip in to help us reach more people and let them know that the time to fight back in states like Texas starts now?
All On The Line is the grassroots advocacy campaign supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund. Support our work to end gerrymandering.
