MALDEF-WCVI-TXLULAC Texas Redistricting
Assembly, Senate, & Congressional
The Willie Velásquez Institute (WCVI) joined together with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and the Texas League of United Latin American Citizens (TXLULAC) in a redistricting partnership for community education. Mandated constitutionally to occur every ten years, redistricting provides an excellent opportunity for Latinos and other minority communities to advocate for fair electoral districts. Fairly drawn districts, in turn, provide historically excluded communities a better chance at electing candidates of their choice to public office. Conversely, failure to effectively participate in the redistricting deliberations in Austin, and at the local level, will guarantee that our communities continue to suffer from disproportionately low rates of political representation and participation.
Redistricting of federal and state electoral districts by the state legislature began this year with the release of the 2000 Census results in March.
The plans adopted by the Legislative Redistricting Board (LRB) on July 18, 2001 fell short of the recommendations set forth in the statewide House and Senate proposals submitted by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the William C. Velásquez Institute (WCVI) and the Texas League of United Latin American Citizens (TX LULAC). The MALDEF/WCVI/TXLULAC plans reflect the rapid growth of the Latino community throughout various parts of the state and present greater opportunity for Latinos to elect their representatives of choice.
Comparison of LRB House Plan and MALDEF/LULAC/WCVI House Plan to 2000 House Plan:
Number of House Districts with Latino Voting-Age Population % Between 70-30%
| Category |
District % |
Current Districts |
MALDEF, WCVI, TXLULAC Plan |
LRB Adopted Plan |
MALDEF, WCVI, TXLULAC +/- |
LRB Adopted +/- |
Diff. Between MALDEF/WCVI, TXLULAC & LRB |
| LVAP |
Districts over 70% |
18 |
14 |
15 |
-4 |
-3 |
-1 |
| LVAP |
Districts 69-60% |
10 |
10 |
12 |
0 |
2 |
-2 |
| LVAP |
Districts 59-50% |
|
12 |
7 |
9 |
4 |
5 |
| LVAP |
Districts between 49-35% |
11 |
7 |
4 |
-4 |
-7 |
3 |
Note: Latino Majority district defined as 50%+ Latino Voting-Age Population (LVAP). Source: Texas Legislative Council
|
MALDEF-WCVI Redistricting Plans: The redistricting plan, submitted on behalf of the MALDEF and the Wiliam C. Velasquez Institute, provides a community-based vision of inclusive democracy and features extensive community outreach as its centerpeice. This plan reflects the profound growth of the Latino community in United States over the past decade and ensures that Latinos have equal opportunities to elect candidates of their choice. 
