An Austin lawyer has sued City Council members over what he says is the denial of voting rights to tens of thousands of residents. Bill Aleshire filed the lawsuit in a Travis County district court Tuesday on behalf of a dozen Austin residents. He argues that nearly 24,000 people who were moved into new Council […]
Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission
The fourteen-member group charged with drawing Austin’s ten geographically based districts. Established in 2013, and inactive until reconvened by city charter
Posted inElections
Why some residents won’t be able to vote in the District 4 special election
Some residents in the newly drawn City Council District 4 map will not be able to vote in the upcoming special election to fill Council Member Greg Casar’s seat. “This is a unique situation,” said Jannette Goodall, who retired as the city clerk in November. “This is the first time in the 21 years that I’ve […]
Posted inCity Council
ICRC continues to request feedback in final month of district mapping
The Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission continues to gather public feedback on the preliminary map commissioners helped draw of Austin’s City Council districts. While commissioners approved a preliminary map on Sept. 15, they have until Nov. 1 to consider additional feedback from Austinites and approve a final version. So far, the district map looks relatively similar to the […]
Posted inCity Council
Early redistricting map reflects population growth of Northwest Austin
City Council districts for the rest of the decade will largely look the same as those created in 2013, based on the reveal of the preliminary map that has been in the works for much of this year. While the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission voted to approve the map, it could still undergo some changes […]
Posted inCity Council
Wanted: More residents to participate in city redistricting hearings
Austin commissioners charged with redrawing the boundaries of 10 City Council districts clearly have their work cut out for them. For one, they’re obligated to hold public hearings in each of the 10 districts, yet the first two forums drew only a skeleton crew of residents to the areas of town that are home to […]
Posted inAustin
Redistricting commission races to fulfill its mission in short time frame
With a Nov. 1 deadline just months away, the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is moving at an unusually fast pace to hold public hearings in each City Council district, draft new district lines based on delayed 2020 census data, gather public input, and adopt a final 10-district map in the fall. Last week, the 14-member […]
Posted inAustin
City seeks diversity in applicants tasked with redrawing Council district map
Just over six weeks ahead of the application deadline, the Office of the City Auditor is seeking candidates from Latino and other minority groups interested in helping to create the city’s next City Council district map. Applications for the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission are due by Sept. 30. That group will convene next year and […]
Posted inCity Council
City calls for help with redistricting
Just like Congress and the Texas Legislature, Austin City Council is required to draw new districts every 10 years to coincide with the U.S. Census. But unlike the Legislature and Congress, the city asks ordinary citizens to participate in the drawing of the districts. Austin’s current districts were drawn by the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Oversights and overheads
Mapgate: What we saw… There was little indication at the conclusion of last week’s meeting of the Zoning and Platting Commission that Scott Gross, an engineer for the city’s Transportation Department, was in big trouble. After concluding a half-hour presentation on city transportation, he’d received gentle pushback from two commissioners for using a satirical map […]
Posted inElections, Local Politics
Redistricting Commission gets final public input on district map
Edging ever closer to a final City Council district map, the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission held its final public meeting last night and received mostly positive feedback for its work in creating 10 single-member districts. The commission met at the Millennium Youth Center in order to gather input on their final proposed map, which […]
Posted inAustin, City Charter, City Council, Elections, Local Politics
Residents express concerns over final Council districts map
A week after the final proposed map of Austin’s first single-member districts was released, Austinites gathered mainly to tell the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission what they felt was wrong with the map and, occasionally tell them what the panel had done right. The meeting, held at The Lodge at 700 Dawson (formerly the Elks Lodge), […]
Posted inAustin, City Charter, City Council, Elections, Local Politics
ICRC holds final public hearing on proposed Council districts
As the deadline for a single-member district map grows closer, the crowd wanting to address the map has grown larger and more vocal. Wednesday night, the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission held its fourth and final public input meeting designed to solicit testimony about the Sept. 28 preliminary map. The commission heard from a full […]