Dallas City Council will once again try to reach an agreement on the new redistricting map for the City of Dallas on Wednesday.
Council members first voted on whether to approve the newly-redistricted area map on June 8. Despite several proposed amendments intended to address resident complaints, the council could not come to an agreement that was deemed acceptable to all members. The final vote was delayed by two weeks.
A redrawing of the lines for the 14 Dallas City Council districts is required every 10 years following the release of the latest Census data. According to federal law, changes in racial demographics and the overall size of the population are required to be considered when new district boundaries are drawn.
The council received an in-depth briefing regarding the recommended map on May 18. A redistricting commission submitted the map and provided the briefing, according to council records.
The rules state that the council has 45 days to approve or reject the proposal after receiving the briefing. Wednesday, June 22, will be the last regularly scheduled council meeting prior to the 45-day deadline, and the council will again consider the proposal.
One area that has caused controversy is the splitting up of Parkdale, located in what is now the City of Dallas District 7.
“That’s unacceptable,” Parkdale Neighborhood Association Leader Casie Pierce told NBC. “We’re a neighborhood. We can’t be in two different city council districts. it’s unreasonable for anyone.”
District 7 is led by Councilman Adam Bazaldua. The Dallas Express reached out to the District 7 office but has not received comment at this time.
Another concern was raised by Attorney Domingo Garcia regarding the representation of the Latino population in the City of Dallas. As tabulated by the 2020 Census, the number of Latinos living in the mapped areas has increased by 40%.
Garcia said he thinks there should be more Latino “opportunity districts” based on this increase, suggesting there should be seven such districts, as opposed to the four proposed on the map. He claimed that not providing these districts would violate the Voting Rights Act and the fundamental principles of fairness, asserting that the current map was designed to protect incumbents.
Garcia was among six of 15 redistricting commission members that voted against the new 41B redistricting map, in part due to a desire to see greater opportunity for Latino representation, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
In contrast, Councilman Paul Ridley of the City of Dallas District 14 made the case that the current map should be approved, as it represents six months of negotiation and input from over 1,200 residents.
According to Garcia, a lawsuit may ensue unless changes are made to the redistricting plan.
The Dallas Express has also highlighted another potential misrepresentation of political viewpoints in the city: of Dallas’ elected representatives, only 8% are Republican, while 33% of the population voted Republican in 2020’s general presidential election.
The redistricted maps, as drawn, will not impact the current representation of Democrats and Republicans.
If the final decision is up to the city council, you can guarantee that districts will be drawn to favor Democrats.