Voters Sue to Nullify County Redistricting Plan
A message from Commissioner R. Jack Cagle regarding the state lawsuit filed today challenging Harris County’s recent redistricting:
Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom S. Ramsey and I joined a group of Harris County voters today to file a state lawsuit challenging Harris County’s recent radical, unconstitutional redistricting of more than 1.1 million county residents.
Read more about the lawsuit below.
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PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Voters Sue to Nullify County Redistricting Plan
That Illegally Strips Them of Their Right to Vote
Suit Alleges Democrat Redistricting Scheme
Intentionally Deprives 1.1 Million Citizens of Their Legal Right to Vote
(Harris County, Texas) A group of Harris County voters and two county commissioners filed suit in state civil district court today, alleging that Harris County’s recent redistricting plan unconstitutionally strips them and more than 1.1 million of their neighbors of their legal right to vote in next year’s county elections.
The suit, filed by disenfranchised minority voters Ranya Khanoyan, Alan Vera, David Lugo and county commissioners Tom S. Ramsey and R. Jack Cagle, was filed by noted redistricting attorneys Andy Taylor, Chris Gober and Joe Slovacek.
The suit seeks to prevent the implementation of a radical redistricting plan passed Oct. 28 by members of a 3-2 Democrat majority on Harris County Commissioners Court.
The defendants are Harris County and County Judge Lina Hidalgo.
Although Harris County is constitutionally obligated to redraw precinct lines every 10 years to ensure “one person, one vote” proportionality between Harris County’s four commissioner precincts, it cannot do so in a manner that violates the constitutional rights of voters in those precincts.
Today’s lawsuit alleges that by radically redrawing the county’s precinct lines, the Democrat majority on Commissioners Court illegally placed its political goal of ensuring a future 4-1 court majority above the rights of 1,125,937 Harris County voters to cast their ballots in the upcoming 2022 county commissioner primary and general elections.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs are prepared to present an alternative redistricting proposal to the Court that ensures the “one person, one vote” concept and protects all citizens’ right to vote – without abrogating the right to vote for a single Harris County voter.
“Democrats on Commissioners Court were so intent on padding their 3-2 majority that they callously and intentionally trampled on our clients’ sacred right – the right to elect their government officials and to participate in the electoral process,” said Andy Taylor.
“We are confident the courts will not allow that injustice to stand.”