Austin, Texas – Today, Senator César J. Blanco joined fellow Texas Democratic Senators in walking out of the Senate Chamber as Senate Bill 4, the redistricting bill, was brought up — showing clear dissent against efforts to push mid-decade redistricting during a time when Texas should be focused solely on flood relief and disaster preparedness.

Senator Blanco issued the following statement:

“Texans overwhelmingly want lawmakers focused on flood relief and disaster preparedness first. Yet Republicans are spending valuable time on an unpopular scheme to redraw political maps — something voters across Texas don’t see as a priority.

“Politicians are trying to choose their voters to protect their own power. If they can do this now, they will gerrymander before every election, ending voters’ ability to choose their leaders altogether. Every day spent on this power grab is a day we are not delivering relief to families still recovering from devastating floods that took 135 lives, destroyed homes, and upended communities.

“Texans deserve leaders who put their needs first, not politics before people. We owe it to our communities to keep our focus where it belongs — helping families rebuild and making sure our state is ready for the next emergency.”

For further information, please contact Taylor Sanchez at Taylor.Sanchez@senate.texas.gov. 

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