RPT Chairman Statement on Texas House Redistricting Map

RPT Chairman Statement on Texas House Redistricting Map AUSTIN - RPT State Chairman Steve Munisteri issues the following statement regarding today's release of the proposed redistricting map for the Texas House of Representatives. "I've had an opportunity to examine the recently released, proposed redistricting map and believe that after taking into account all circumstances and factors, that on balance it is a map which I can proudly support." "The key criteria in making this determination was whether the district lines were fairly drawn, reflected the changes in census data, complied with both federal and state law, and yielded a map which reflected the will of the majority of voters as expressed in the last election. 2010 demonstrated that a substantial majority of Texans supported the Republican ticket, and therefore it has been my position that any new maps, in order to be fair to the electorate, result in a substantial majority of the districts containing a Republican majority. I was fearful that a map that did not meet this criteria could result in a substantial loss of Republican seats. I have been pleasantly surprised that the proposed map affords the Republican Party the opportunity to maintain a solid majority." "I do note that the map pairs seven sets of Republicans. While this is not an ideal situation for either our party or the elected representatives who are paired, I am convinced that because of the changes in population that it is impossible to draw a new map that maintains a Republican majority and at the same time is legal and fair, without such pairings. I want to make clear that I believe all the legislators who are paired are deserving of being re-elected. I would also point out that it appears to me that for every seat we lose because of pairing, the Republican Party will have an opportunity to elect a Republican in another district. While it is certainly possible that because of the new census data and population changes the Party will have a net loss of seats in 2012, I believe this map affords the Republican Party a fair opportunity to retain the vast majority of its current seats." "Finally, redistricting is by its nature, a very difficult task which requires many tough choices. With this in mind, I would like to applaud Chairman Burt Solomons (R-Carrollton) for his hard work in preparing this new redistricting map for the Texas House of Representatives. It is a map Republicans and all Texans can be proud of." To view the proposed redistricting map for the Texas House of Representatives, click on the "DistrictViewer" link below. From that website, use the drop down menu in the upper left-hand side marked "Select Plans" to bring up a pop-up window titled "Select Base Plan". From that window, scroll down to see the proposed map titled "PLANH113 - Rep. Solomons Statewide House Proposal".

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