By Jeff Wentworth
State Senator District 25
Published: 02-25-08
On March 2 1836 Texas declared its independence from Mexico and on May 14 ad interim President David G. Burnet called an election for September to ratify the Constitution and elect the members of the new Republic’s Congress.
In 1836 about 20000 people lived in Texas. It was a huge area and barely half of it was settled. West Texas was unorganized territory.
It is to those early Texans’ credit that in spite of great distances and no up-to-the-minute news bulletins they found out about the election. They ratified the new Constitution and chose 14 senators and 29 representatives to send to Congress.
This year I encourage my fellow Texans not only to observe our great state’s Independence Day on Sunday March 2 but to honor it further by voting in the primary election on Tuesday March 4.
In Texas and many other states redistricting has so impacted voting that the most important ballot you can cast is often in the primary election in March rather than the general election in November.
Leaving the redistricting of Congressional and Legislative districts in the hands of those whose jobs depend on the outcome the men and women who represent you in Austin and in Washington D.C. has resulted in district lines drawn to protect incumbents regardless of whether Republicans or Democrats are in power.
As a result many Texas voters will go to the polls in November and see either races that have candidates with no opposition or if there is opposition many candidates running in districts drawn so overwhelmingly in favor of one political party or the other that it is obvious which candidate will emerge the winner.
To quote from the November 3 2006 issue of the Dallas Morning News “When the majority party is entrusted with the task of redistricting incumbents win and voters lose.”
Except for presidential and statewide candidates such as those for governor and U.S. senators the decision about which candidate will win in November’s general election is determined at the primary election in March. U.S. Congressmen state senators and state representatives plus many judges are chosen in the March primary in battles that feature Republicans v. Republicans and Democrats v. Democrats.
Unfortunately twice as many Texans vote in November as do in March because they believe their votes will “really count” when the undeniable fact is that their votes count much more in March.
I have battled against this partisan redistricting in legislative session after legislative session. I believe strongly that redistricting should be placed in the hands of a bipartisan citizens’ redistricting commission and I will once again file a bill to that effect when the Legislature convenes next year.
In the meantime I urge you to go to the polls on March 4 and cast your ballot when your vote will really make a difference in the primary election.
Take a lesson from the early Texans. They knew the value of voting because it was a privilege that had been taken away from them and they were willing to die to take it back.
