ABSTRACT
First, as we shall see later in the chapter, politicians get extremely nervous over redrawing electoral boundaries-redistricting-because they won in the old district and they want to be sure that any changes do not leave them with voters less likely to support them. Second, though all residents are counted in a census, not everyone is entitled to vote. Obviously, children cannot vote and neither can residents, whether here legally or not, who are not citizens. These distinctions are particularly important in Texas because both the age and citizenship profiles of Hispanics in Texas dramatically affect their electoral clout. Hispanics comprise about 38 percent of the Texas population, but 48 percent of the population under 18; hence, many more Hispanics than Anglos and blacks are too young to vote. In addition, 30 percent of Hispanics in Texas are not U.S. citizens and, as a result, are not eligible to vote.
