Posted: Fri, 13 May 2011 06:45 PM - 15,306 Readers

By: Marcus Funk

Capital of Texas Hwy. could soon be the de facto border between Republican-controlled Lake Travis and Democratically controlled Austin, at least in the Texas House of Representatives. New redistricting maps approved by the House on April 28 reshuffle Reps. Paul Workman, R-Austin, and Donna Howard, D-Austin, into more consolidated “areas of interest” around the lake and closer to Austin.

Lines redrawn

Currently, House Districts 47 (Workman) and 48 (Howard) run from the Burnet County line and into Austin proper, with the lake separating the two. Under House Bill 150, areas north and south of the lake would be merged into Workman’s district, with his eastern border basically stretching from Capital of Texas Hwy. southward to traffic-prone Hwy. 290 and Hwy. 71, called the Y at Oak Hill in southwest Austin. Howard would basically represent a corridor between Capital of Texas Hwy. and MoPac, including West Lake Hills and parts of southwest Austin.

“I think it’s a half-empty, half-full glass. It’s all in how you look at it,” Howard said. “The way the map got crafted in Travis County, it kept the communities surrounding the lake that have common interests together under Rep. Workman, and I think that’s justifiable.

“But at the same time, one could argue that it might be worth having two swing districts that have the opportunity to go either way.”

Deciding factors

Republicans said they drew the districts to represent logical “areas of interest,” like lakeside communities or suburban neighborhoods, while also reflecting the state’s population growth. Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton and chair of the House Redistricting Committee, said the bill fairly reflects Texas’ growth and communities without violating the federal Voting Rights Act.

A changing population

Democrats, though, have argued that the bill discounts Hispanic growth rates while failing to provide new “minority opportunity districts.” The largely partisan back-and-forth was settled after a two-day debate April 28, with a mostly party line vote of 92–54. Howard abstained from the vote, arguing the process was too self-serving and partisan, and that a neutral commission should draw the legislature’s boundaries; Workman voted for the bill, saying fair local districts were his priority.

Representatives’ reactions

Apart from changes to HD 47 and HD 48, the Austin map remained relatively stable. The five Democratic members were not redistricted from their seats, and Howard said her district arguably would become more Democratic by moving closer to Austin. Conversely, Workman’s district would become more Republican, while the remaining four Democrats would represent relatively the same areas.

“I’m happy with my map. I think rural western Travis County has a community of interest that’s brought together, and I think that’ll be, in the end, the right thing,” Workman said. “But the reality is that Travis County is a liberal county, and I think the map probably accurately reflects the populace of the county.”

Next steps

The House bill now moves on to the state Senate, which is considering its own revised districts. A bill adding four new congressional seats to the Texas delegation, and redrawing old boundaries, is upcoming.