Supreme Court Tosses Texas Map; What it Means to El Paso
By now you've probably heard about the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) tossing the redistricting maps drawn by the San Antonio Court.
Just a few quick thoughts on what it means for the state and what it means for El Paso.
#1 - Say hello to a June Primary. It still has to be decided by the Courts, but I would be very surprised if the elections were still going to be held in April. So I'd expect it to be pushed back...again. Possibly as far back as June, though it could be May.
#2 - Its not a loss for the redistricting plaintiffs.
#3 - The SCOTUS did not compel the lower court to go back to the State Legislature map. So that means they will have to draw new maps using the state legislature maps as a starting point and can adjust the maps if there is "reasonable probability" of a violation of Section 2 or Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
The San Antonio Courts will now have to decide, starting next week or maybe later, about when the election will be. They will also have to decide when the filing window will open again, when it will close, and what the residency requirement will be.
This is something that favors candidates that can raise money and candidates that have a good grass roots operation. This benefits them because it gives them more time to block walk, phone bank, do mail-outs, etc. Essentially it gives them more time to bite in to the lead of the front runner.
This also means money will be an even bigger factor. Campaigns cost money, especially the tightly contested ones. I'm a little concerned about voter fatigue in the back of my mind, but candidates have to get their message out. So now they have to stretch their dollars all the way to May or June, to say nothing of the run-off elections.
I'd expect a few candidates to drop out at this point. I think a lot of them will realize that the money is going to be a major issue for them. Time will tell.
Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted as things develop.
Just a few quick thoughts on what it means for the state and what it means for El Paso.
#1 - Say hello to a June Primary. It still has to be decided by the Courts, but I would be very surprised if the elections were still going to be held in April. So I'd expect it to be pushed back...again. Possibly as far back as June, though it could be May.
#2 - Its not a loss for the redistricting plaintiffs.
#3 - The SCOTUS did not compel the lower court to go back to the State Legislature map. So that means they will have to draw new maps using the state legislature maps as a starting point and can adjust the maps if there is "reasonable probability" of a violation of Section 2 or Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
The San Antonio Courts will now have to decide, starting next week or maybe later, about when the election will be. They will also have to decide when the filing window will open again, when it will close, and what the residency requirement will be.
This is something that favors candidates that can raise money and candidates that have a good grass roots operation. This benefits them because it gives them more time to block walk, phone bank, do mail-outs, etc. Essentially it gives them more time to bite in to the lead of the front runner.
This also means money will be an even bigger factor. Campaigns cost money, especially the tightly contested ones. I'm a little concerned about voter fatigue in the back of my mind, but candidates have to get their message out. So now they have to stretch their dollars all the way to May or June, to say nothing of the run-off elections.
I'd expect a few candidates to drop out at this point. I think a lot of them will realize that the money is going to be a major issue for them. Time will tell.
Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted as things develop.
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