Tag Archives: demography

Cracking Asian-American communities

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib explores what the new Congressional maps did to Asian-American communities, mostly but not exclusively in the Houston area. When Texas lawmakers redrew congressional maps following the 2020 census, they split up Asian American populations in both Harris and … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend County Commissioners Court finishes its redistricting

Posted on November 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Things were unsurprisingly partisan, as is the nature of redistricting as we do it. After much confusion, heated discussion, and repeated delays, the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 on Friday to adopt new precinct boundaries. The redistricting map … Continue reading →

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An estimate of the Census undercount

Posted on November 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It could have been worse. According to new analysis of the 2020 Census, Texas had the highest undercount of any US state in raw numbers. It’s estimated some 377,000 in the state weren’t included in the count. Nationally, the 2020 … Continue reading →

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A brief update on the Gutierrez/Eckhardt redistricting lawsuit

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

First news we’ve had in awhile. Plaintiff: Democratic state Sens. Roland Gutierrez and Sarah Eckhardt What the lawsuit argues: Ahead of lawmakers’ third special session, two Democratic state senators sued to block the Legislature from redistricting in a special session … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend Commissioners Court redistricting update

Posted on October 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Was supposed to be done this week, but has been delayed. Fort Bend County Judge KP George has thrown a wrench in the Commissioners Court’s posted agenda to hold public hearings and adopt a final redistricting map on Oct. 26. … Continue reading →

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Redistricting lawsuit #2 filed

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This one focuses on just the Congressional map. An organization affiliated with Eric Holder, who was attorney general in the Obama administration, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the state’s GOP-drawn redistricting map for Congress on behalf of … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend County Commissioners Court redistricting

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From last week. Fort Bend County commissioners has formally called for the redistricting process to begin this week. The Commissioners Court will have to prepare maps of new precincts, following the 2020 census, to ensure that the boundaries retain “one-person-one-vote” … Continue reading →

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More on the Spring Branch ISD single member district lawsuit

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good story from KTRK. The unofficial dividing line for the two sides: I-10 running through the district. With two boys in the district, Carla Cooper-Molano has seen the battle scars, and she wants someone on the school board who represents … Continue reading →

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The Lege is now 3/4 done with redistricting

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

All but the Congressional maps are done. They’re just plowing through it. The Texas Legislature is nearing the end of its work to incorporate a decade’s worth of population growth into new political maps — pressing forward with efforts to … Continue reading →

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Senate passes Congressional map

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Start the litigation countdown. Yes, I know, this still has to pass the House, but still. The Texas Senate approved a map Friday that would largely protect incumbents in Congress while reducing the number of districts in which Black and … Continue reading →

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Senate approves its map

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They wasted no time, which is another way of saying that they didn’t bother giving anyone else much time to provide input or feedback. The Texas Senate has approved a new political map for its own members that would entrench … Continue reading →

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First proposed Congressional map is out

Posted on September 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a thing. Texas lawmakers on Monday released their first draft of a new congressional map for the next decade that includes two new districts in Austin and Houston — metropolitan areas with diverse populations tht fueled much of the … Continue reading →

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The Census and gentrification

Posted on September 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some population trends of interest in Houston. People of color led Houston’s growth over the last 10 years, but that trend wasn’t reflected across all the city’s historic Black and Hispanic neighborhoods. Census data released earlier this month paints a … Continue reading →

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Census data is out

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready, there’s about to be a whole lot more legislative activity. Setting the stage for what is expected to be a bruising battle over political representation, the results of the 2020 census released Thursday showed that Texas’ explosive growth … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: State Senate district comparisons

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts Comparing 2012 and 2016 Statewide judicial Other jurisdictions Appellate courts, Part 1 Appellate courts, Part 2 Judicial averages Other cities District Attorney County Attorney Sheriff Tax Assessor County Clerk HCDE Fort … Continue reading →

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Here come the young people

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just sitting here waiting for the Census data. Garima Vyas always wanted to live in a big city. She thought about New York, long the destination for 20-something strivers, but was wary of the cost and complicated subway lines. … Continue reading →

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Census apportionment numbers are in

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Texas will gain two seats in Congress, which is one fewer than had been expected based on population growth estimates. Texas will continue to see its political clout grow as it gains two additional congressional seats — the most of … Continue reading →

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Another report on the South Texas vote in 2020

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some interesting stuff in here. Cambio Texas, a progressive organization whose mission is to increase voter turnout and elect leaders that reflect the community, has released a post-election report that relies on extensive interviews with elected officials, campaign workers, consultants, … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: State Senate comparisons

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts Comparing 2012 and 2016 Statewide judicial Other jurisdictions Appellate courts, Part 1 Appellate courts, Part 2 Judicial averages Other cities District Attorney County Attorney Sheriff Tax Assessor County Clerk HCDE Fort … Continue reading →

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Another look at how redistricting may go

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

RG Ratcliffe analyzes the geographic and political realities the Republicans face as they try to maximize their haul from the 2021 reapportionment. Rick Perry famously called West Texas—a sparse land with few trees or humans—the Big Empty. The 92,016 square … Continue reading →

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A high level look at the changing suburbs

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib takes a broad and high-level look at what I’m digging into now. Although they didn’t get the blue wave they expected, Democrats narrowed the gap with Republicans in five of the most competitive and populous suburban counties in … Continue reading →

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Counties of interest, part two: Around the Metroplex

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Part 1 – Counties around Harris Dallas and Tarrant Counties are two big squares right next to each other, so I’m combining them into one post. County Romney Obama Trump Clinton Trump Biden Shift ========================================================================= Collin 196,888 101,415 201,014 140,624 … Continue reading →

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Still worried about the Census

Posted on October 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s this. The census came to an abrupt halt Thursday after a pandemic and a legal tug-of-war threw the massive survey into chaos. Officials around the country now fear they’ll lose their fair share of federal funding and political representation … Continue reading →

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Another look at the County Commissioner race

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the most consequential local race on the ballot this year. Every four years since 1968, Harris County residents have been able to count on a Republican winning the Precinct 3 commissioner’s seat. In that half century, a parade of … Continue reading →

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As goes Tarrant, 2020 edition

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hello, old friend. Shortly after Democrat Beto O’Rourke launched his campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, he made several visits to Tarrant County in North Texas to press the message that if he could flip this county, … Continue reading →

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It’s like we don’t want any extra Congresspeople

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As someone once said, where’s the outrage? For months, as Texans have been asked to stay home to avoid the spread of the new coronavirus, Jennifer Edwards has been doing the rounds at gas stations in a trio of counties … Continue reading →

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Here’s a Census data preview

Posted on July 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Guess what? The same trends we saw ten years ago are still trending. Texas’ Hispanic population has grown by more than 2 million since 2010, according to new population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, and the state’s … Continue reading →

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The 2020 Kinder Houston Area Survey

Posted on May 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We were a pretty optimistic bunch earlier this year, in the Before Times. Houstonians are expressing a deeper sense of mutual trust, compassion, and solidarity than ever before, with many also calling for policies that will reduce inequalities and improve … Continue reading →

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First federal vote by mail lawsuit hearing

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One down, two to go. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery heard arguments Friday in a federal lawsuit seeking to give all voters the option to vote by mail due to fears of catching or spreading the coronavirus. […] During Friday’s … Continue reading →

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LULAC joins TDP’s federal mail ballot lawsuit

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

More plaintiffs, more fun. A prominent Latino civil rights group is jumping into the fight to expand Texas’ voting-by-mail eligibility, alleging the restriction that limits age eligibility for voting by mail to those 65 and older disproportionately harms Texas Latinos … Continue reading →

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Please fill out the Census

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, come on. If you’re a reader of this blog, you know damn well it’s your civic duty. Texas loses more than $2,300 per year for every person who doesn’t get counted in the U.S. Census, according to a … Continue reading →

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Speaking of voter registration

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron notes the latest milestone. For the first time in history, Texas has topped 16 million registered voters and is adding voters faster than its population grows heading into the 2020 presidential election. With the voter registration deadline for … Continue reading →

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Texas is on track to pick up three more Congressional districts

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Put an asterisk next to this, as the actual Census will need to bear that out. The U.S. population continues to shift south and west, according to new Census Bureau data that offers the clearest picture yet of how the … Continue reading →

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How other states are handling the Census

Posted on October 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Better than we’re handling it. So cities and states with big immigrant populations — like California and New York City — are supplementing the Census Bureau’s efforts like never before, allocating money to outreach groups that can go to communities … Continue reading →

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