Amendments to the Voting Rights Act require that districts be drawn in a way that does not dilute racial or ethnic “communities of interest.” Republicans are interpreting this mandate with a zeal that former Reagan White House aide Linda Chavez finds “unconscionable.” The proposed reapportionment for Houston looks like the Great Lakes, says Chavez. “They literally have to stick on tendrils to scoop up every Hispanic voter.” Hypocrisy is certainly not new in polities. But if Republicans want to rail against quotas in employment and then turn around and use race to their advantage in creating voting districts, they shouldn’t be surprised if they’re called on it.
