How Redistricting Uncertainty Impacts Local Races
Redistricting is a mess in Texas and since we do things bigger in Texas, redistricting is a big ol' mess in Texas. A lot of people might not understand why thats a big deal in terms of local campaigns, so let me break it down for you on why this has turned out to be a big Texas-sized pain in the nalgas.
Here are the top ____ reasons the redistricting mess is a big pain in the butt to local candidates:
1. You don't know who you are running against. The Texas Courts haven't said when the filing or residency deadline is. Better to err on the side of caution and make sure you live in the district asap. Which leads to the next problem...
2. No one knows what the district lines are going to look like yet. So you have to hold off and getting a place in the district until you find out what the district looks like.
3. You have no idea where it is safe to start walking and who to start calling.
4. If you are already walking and have already cut turf, there's a good chance that you might be walking in areas that might not be in your district when all is said and done.
5. Voter confusion. Voters don't know what district they live in and who to vote for. It costs a lot of money to educate a voter and money is scarce as it is. With voter turnout already pretty low, I'm willing to bet that there will be a pretty big chunk of voters out there that stay home because they are confused about when to vote.
6. Visibility. Campaigns have no clue were to put signs if they already have them. They might have signs up in an area that ends up being outside their district, further confusing voters.
7. Timelines are all screwed up. Campaigns normally have timelines of when they start certain activities and when they start letting voters know when and where they are supposed to vote. Can't do that when you don't know when the election is.
8. Droppin' mail. Again, without knowing election date and early voting dates you can't plan on when to drop your mail. Some stuff never changes like droppin' a negative piece on your opponent's head so that it lands on the Saturday before early voting starts. But introductory pieces, etc are done at different times during a campaign.
So in short, the maps are FUBAR and so are the campaigns...for now.
(BTW FUBAR is an abbreviation, so technically I haven't broken my resolution)
Here are the top ____ reasons the redistricting mess is a big pain in the butt to local candidates:
1. You don't know who you are running against. The Texas Courts haven't said when the filing or residency deadline is. Better to err on the side of caution and make sure you live in the district asap. Which leads to the next problem...
2. No one knows what the district lines are going to look like yet. So you have to hold off and getting a place in the district until you find out what the district looks like.
3. You have no idea where it is safe to start walking and who to start calling.
4. If you are already walking and have already cut turf, there's a good chance that you might be walking in areas that might not be in your district when all is said and done.
5. Voter confusion. Voters don't know what district they live in and who to vote for. It costs a lot of money to educate a voter and money is scarce as it is. With voter turnout already pretty low, I'm willing to bet that there will be a pretty big chunk of voters out there that stay home because they are confused about when to vote.
6. Visibility. Campaigns have no clue were to put signs if they already have them. They might have signs up in an area that ends up being outside their district, further confusing voters.
7. Timelines are all screwed up. Campaigns normally have timelines of when they start certain activities and when they start letting voters know when and where they are supposed to vote. Can't do that when you don't know when the election is.
8. Droppin' mail. Again, without knowing election date and early voting dates you can't plan on when to drop your mail. Some stuff never changes like droppin' a negative piece on your opponent's head so that it lands on the Saturday before early voting starts. But introductory pieces, etc are done at different times during a campaign.
So in short, the maps are FUBAR and so are the campaigns...for now.
(BTW FUBAR is an abbreviation, so technically I haven't broken my resolution)
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