San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
For our community, fight to take back districts
In 1968, San Antonio celebrated its 250th birthday on the global stage with the World’s Fair. Among the many local leaders who contributed to the success of HemisFair ’68 was the late U.S. Rep. Henry B. González, who represented downtown San Antonio.
Today, that park is no longer represented by a San Antonian. Like many other downtown assets, it has been drawn into a congressional district anchored in Austin.
For many, the specifics of redistricting are foreign concepts. Some don’t know what it is, and some believe it is primarily political gamesmanship played by elected officials seeking to preserve their power.
That’s part of the story for some lawmakers, but it fails to capture how this process can drastically change communities. This process, done carelessly or with ill intent, can lead to bad outcomes for all of us. District lines change, incumbents gain new constituents, and communities are divided.
This year, with a new round of redistricting, San Antonio lost, and we will feel that loss for a decade without intervention. Perhaps the courts will step in and find a Section 2 violation of the Voting Rights Act, meaning lawmakers denied Latinos the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. Or perhaps Congress will provide relief by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would require federal oversight of state redistricting and voting rights laws in states such as Texas with a history of targeted voter suppression. Until then, Texas is stuck with the discriminatory maps signed into law last month.
Politics aside, this loss for San Antonio will be felt personally by many of our neighbors. Being represented in Congress by someone who lives in our community, who knows its concerns and who shares in its burdens is important. For many San Antonians, this will not be the case over the next 10 years. Our region’s priorities may not be addressed as swiftly, and we will lack an advocate that places our needs first.
Under the new maps, our central business district, downtown university and the River Walk have been drawn into a district anchored by a majority of its population in Austin. Our beloved Alamo, a famed historical landmark and one of the most popular tourist attractions in the state, has been drawn into a district anchored in Laredo.
Congressional District 35 was created 10 years ago because of tremendous growth in San Antonio and in Hays County. Partisan politics took that district into Austin, eliminating Austin’s congressional district 25 in an attempt to force U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett out of Congress.
Given the restoration of a Central Austin district, it is only equitable and just to restore Congressional District 35 to its intended legacy as a Bexar County and Hays County district. Of course, that’s not what happened. Instead, Congressional District 35 gained population in Travis County at the expense of Bexar County. Initial analysis suggests the Travis County portion of the district will have the advantage in a contest that pits our two communities against each other.
Redistricting will touch family, neighborhood and business interest in our community. At every level of government, we will see the consequences of discriminatory district lines. We must come together — voters, government officials, business and community leaders — to take our district back.
In the coming weeks, our community has one job. We must recognize the disadvantage we all face without equitable representation for San Antonio in Congress. First, we can fight by urging our U.S. senators to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. If enacted, Texas would no longer have free reign to carve up our communities and play politics with our livelihoods. It is also important for all of us to rally behind our local leaders to assert our rights in a court of law.
San Antonio is our home. We deserve representation that reflects our experiences and understands our needs. What happens in the next few months will determine whether that is a reality over the next 10 years.
I believe the best thing I can do for my community is fight for another San Antonio congressional district in federal court. I hope business and community leaders will join in common cause so that our community has the representation it deserves.