DALLAS — Every 10 years, the U.S. completes a census that shows population growth and shifts across the country.
And in the months following a census count, the Texas Legislature must approve new district lines for state representatives, senators and members of the U.S. Congress.
The census data reveals regions of the state that have experienced growth and others that have seen declines in population.
Redistricting is done to ensure lawmakers represent roughly the same number of Texans.
For example, a lawmaker who represented only 100,000 Texans could be much more responsive to constituents than a lawmaker who represented one million residents.
Hearings are being held about the redistricting process, one that is fraught with political interference.
The party in charge in Austin can, and often does, put itself at even more of an advantage through redistricting.
They can draw lines that squeeze a lot of voters who tend to vote for the other party into one district to prevent them from being a threat in other districts.
They could also draw lines that stretch far across the state to create a heavily rural district with a small number of urban voters.
That is known as gerrymandering and both sides have been guilty of it in Texas.
Texas expects to gain three congressional districts because of population growth, but there is a good chance the redistricting process will not be complete during the regular legislative session.
The COVID pandemic has delayed census data being distributed by the federal government.
The state isn’t expecting to have enough time to process the data before the regular session ends in May.
So, the governor could be forced to call a special session over the summer to address redistricting.