Several local elected officials, including state senators Borris Miles and Carol Alvarado, are urging members of the public to actively participate in one of the most important tasks the Texas Legislature has this year–redistricting.
This participation will take the form of viewing a virtual Senate Redistricting Committee hearing, and signing up to speak and let your voice be heard.
A statement from Alvarado urging this participation, she stated, “The Texas Legislature we will draw the lines to determine who will represent you in the Texas Senate, Texas House, State Board of Education and U.S. Congress for the next 10 years.”
Alvarado’s statement went on to say, “It is very important that as many Texans as possible have their voices heard as part of this process. Therefore, I urge you to take part in the virtual Senate Redistricting Committee hearing for the Houston region Friday, Feb. 12 at 9 am.
Miles has been on an email blitz to call his constituents to this action.
“Although there will not be any in-person testimony due to COVID-19, we will still be open to the public via two-way videoconference,” said Miles statement. “Talking to the committee about your community is important to ensuring that district lines are drawn to keep your community whole and linked to nearby communities with similar interests.”
All testimony will be taken virtually to ensure the safety of all participants.
To testify you must register in advance of the hearing by completing the witness registration form available here.
Registration is now open and is scheduled to close at 9 am on Thursday, Feb. 11. Witnesses must complete all fields of the registration form including the witness affirmation. After completing the form, you will receive a confirmation email that includes a link to join the videoconference and other instructions.
If you wish to watch the regional hearing without providing testimony, you may do so here.
Please share this information with anyone you think would be interested in testifying. If you need assistance registering, do not hesitate to contact my office at 512-463-0106.