With three federal courts, one legislature, two political parties and nine other groups unable to reach an agreement on redistricting maps for Texas primary elections scheduled on April 3, Wichita Falls businessman Chris Cline put forth a common sense solution.
"They need to form one independent committee comprised of neutral members who don't have a dog in the fight," Cline said Saturday. "That way you've got impartial people who have no reason to unfairly favor any one side."
Law enforcement in Wichita Falls will be affected by this since several positions in Wichita County up for election in the April 3 primaries will make decisions involving criminal laws.
The Texas primaries were initially scheduled for March 6, 2012 based on the original maps drawn up by the Texas Legislature.
That was long before a three-judge federal panel in San Antonio declared the boundaries drawn up didn't pass muster under the Voting Rights Act and recommended different maps. That resulted in the primaries being delayed until the present date of April 3, which is now in danger of being wiped out.
The case was appealed to a higher level where the United States Supreme Court ruled the maps drawn up by the San Antonio court did not give sufficient respect to what the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature had carved out. The High Court sent the case back to San Antonio with instructions to make changes to the maps.
White attorneys for nine minority groups have been debating with lawyers for the State of Texas in San Antonio, yet another federal court in Washington D.C. heard arguments last week in regard to the Voting Rights Act and whether Texas was complying with it.
Meanwhile, the San Antonio judges gave negotiating attorneys instructions to come up with new maps by Monday, February 6 if they still want to hold primary elections on April 3.
What is at stake?
If the primaries are shoved back to May or even later, that would probably decrease radically the influence Texas would have on the selection of a Republican nominee for President.
Also on the line are hundreds of thousands of dollars spent by Republicans and Democrats for down payments months ago on meeting and hotel space for state conventions in June.
Non-refundable down payments.
Republicans plan to hold their state convention in Fort Worth and Democrats have decided on Houston.
Memo to Wichita Falls Republicans and Democrats.........if you have not yet booked reservations for June, you are lucky. Don't do it now because the conventions may be pushed back to later dates as the map chaos continues.
A process which has now descended into total chaos, began on a good note.
Texas gained four Congressional seats that must be included when state legislators redraw boundaries to reflect to reflect population changes in the last 10 years.
The GOP has scheduled its convention for June 7-9 at the Fort Worth Convention Center.
They expect 18,000 party members to show up.
Officials have expended approximately $900,000 for the Cowtown Convention based on June 7.
The Texas Democratic Party expects about 14,000 delegates to arrive for its convention on June 8-9 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.
Democratic officials estimate they could lose up to $450,000 if they have to postpone their meetings to a later date.
Rumors have been floating around political circles in Texas that federal officials will delay the Lone Star primary all the way until June, which would wipe out current convention dates. There is no guarantee when the Washington D.C. federal court will make its ruling.
Maybe our political system would do well to use some of the common sense Chris Cline has advocated in solving this dilemma. Cline is one of the owners of Fill N Chill gas station located at 1508 Southwest Parkway across from Professional Drive.
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