Texas politics

Sources say Texas primaries likely to move to April 3rd: What does that mean forthe voters?

Primary elections in Texas — including the contest for the Republican presidential nominee — are likely to be a month later than usual this year, sources tell CultureMap, as redistricting tangles and party politics wreack havoc on an important election cycle.

According to sources close to the redistricting fight on Friday, April 3, 2012 is the date expected to be approved by a three-judge panel in San Antoino and agreed upon by state Dems and Republicans. This would come about a month after the original primary date, when Democrats and Republicans choose their respective party's nominees for everything from county judge to president.

The panel, composed of two Republicans and a Democrat, hasn't yet announced its decision. But communications between the state's leadership Republicans indicate that neither side of the redistricting fight expects the judges to deny the new date.

At issue here is about 5 percent of Congressional, state rep and state Senate districts that were redrawn during the 2011 legislative session earlier this year, in a map later struck down by the judges' panel and redrawn more favorably for Democrats in recent weeks.

Every 10 years, states have to redraw their district lines in order to compensate for minority growth and population gains, with the ultimate purpose of keeping each district roughly equal in terms of population and ensuring that minorities are neither bundled into too few districts or diluted into too many.

It's a daunting task that has caused huge upheaval in the Legislature in the past, the most memorable of which was the Democratic walkout in 2003 — when then-Congressman Tom DeLay helped orchestrate a mid-decade redistricting plan that lead House Democrats to flee to Ardmore, Okla. to thwart it during the regular session and the Senate Dems to move to Albuquerque for three months to delay a special session on it.

Back to this round, redistricting fights have been screwing with the entire schedule — forcing some candidates to switch gears earlier this month after campaigning in new districts later eliminated by the judges and others to consider getting back in the game after they were forced to abandon Congressional runs when their district no longer existed.

And if you're still with me, that's not even the most complicated part.

The U.S. Supreme Court still wants to hear arguments on the competing maps in January, which means that their decision would come too late for filing for a March 6 primary — which coincides with Super Tuesday and would have given Texas a nice shot at the campaign money primary candidates like to spend in states that matter. (Read: the later the primary date, the less campaigning candidates will do in that state, the less money they'll spend there, etc.)

One alternative being floated by the GOP was to have the presidential primaries and other statewides on Super Tuesday, and move the districts affected — Congress, state House, state Senate — to May, to coincide with municipal elections. That way, Texas could still have some sway in the GOP nomination process. A little.

Two problems there:

Statewide primaries cost millions of dollars in taxpayer money and really test the resources of the municipalities and county governments which have to run them.
Primary campaigns often result in run-offs, and the run-off has to be six weeks after the initial contest — so a run-off in June for a May contest would come after the state GOP has scheduled its state political convention (which the parties do every presidential election cycle). The state party couldn't move the convention date at this point because they've invested far too much money in it. That, more than the strain on local governments, was a huge problem.

But it looks like Texas is on the verge of a solution, and here's what it would look like if the judges don't change it:

Two filing periods, one ending on Dec. 19 and one ending on Feb. 1, 2012, after an interim map is approved. (And by "interim," they mean, "for this cycle only.")
April 3, 2012 primaries for everyone, from president on down
June 5, 2012 run-offs

unspecified

Red Light

San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

animals downtown civic issues