ABSTRACT
On the surface, the story of the 1961 legislative reapportionment in Texas appears to be simply the familiar one of a rapidly growing urban pop ulation confronting a constitution written by rural people and subse quently amended by rural legislators to protect rural interests. This is part of the story in Texas, but only its beginning. The present constitu tional provisions permit, in fact ensure, some adjustment in apportion ment to population trends. Since Texas is a one-party state, partisan factors are missing from the reapportionment process. In the limited reapportionment conducted in 1961, a dominant legislative faction played the role of a majority party in seeking to minimize injury to its members, though the uncertain base of Texas factions makes it as difficult for a faction as for a party to use reapportionment to strengthen its legislative majority.
