Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, has warned Democrats who 'fled' the state that - if they do not return - Republicans could aim for a new 'Congressional map', in view of the midterm elections, even less advantageous for the Democrats than the one already proposed and immediately contested. Some Texas lawmakers, Democrats, fled the state a few days ago to avoid work in the classroom and miss the quorum, preventing GOP elected officials from redrawing electoral districts by moving five more seats towards Trump's Party. "If they don't start showing up, I might start extending them - Abbott said on the "Ruthless" podcast - We could add six, seven or eight new seats to the Republican side" which currently controls 25 of Texas' 38 seats.
Donald Trump's request to exclude "illegally present persons" in the United States from the next census seems to fall squarely within this general push by Republicans for Jerrymandering, the redefinition of electoral district boundaries in favor of a party. The United States Constitution provides that a census be conducted every ten years, counting "all persons in each State," including undocumented immigrants. The next census is scheduled for 2030, but preparations for this colossal task have already begun.
Typically, the reorganization of electoral districts - the process that assigns each state's representation to Congress - follows the census. Provided for by Article 1, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, it is used to determine how many seats in the House of Representatives each state receives, as well as for the disbursement of federal funds. The attempt in Texas by Republicans to now reorganize electoral districts would add seats to the House that will surely be assigned to Republicans. (continued)
While Trump argues that Republicans are "entitled" to five additional seats in Texas based on the strength of the 2024 election result, the attempt to reorganize electoral districts away from the census has sparked a nationwide battle, with Democrats responding by threatening to reorganize districts in the 'more Democratic' states, such as California.
The term Jerrymandering, manipulation of electoral district boundaries to gain unfair political advantages, according to the Library of Congress website, derives from the combination of the name of a prominent 19th-century political figure and a mythological salamander. The term, originally spelled "Gerry-mander," was first used on March 26, 1812, in the Boston Gazette, in reaction to the redefinition of Massachusetts State Senate electoral districts under Governor Elbridge Gerry.
Although the initiative had been carried out at the request of his Party, it was Gerry who signed the proposal - which he did not appreciate - in 1812. Consequently, he received the dubious honor of attribution, along with its negative connotations. Gerry lost the next election, but the redistricting was a success: his party retained control of the legislature. One of the redesigned and contorted districts in the Boston area resembled the shape of a mythological salamander and was depicted by cartoonists as a strange winged dragon clinging to the region.
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