San Angelo is going to redraw its voting district map; here's how to make your voice heard
SAN ANGELO — The City of San Angelo will have to redraw its district voting map after the latest census revealed a significant population change in some portions of the city.
Several districts will be affected and officials say they want to hear from the public before making changes that will impact how some San Angelo residents vote.
The City announced Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, it will host two public meetings to discuss proposed boundaries for redistricting city council single-member districts, a news release stated.
"According to the 2020 census data, the City’s council member districts are not of sufficiently equal population and must be redrawn in order to comply with the “One-person, One-vote” principle established by the U.S. Constitution to preserve equal voting.
Why is the district map changing?
Voting boundaries in San Angelo can be redrawn if as much as 10% of the population changes in each district, according to the city charter. The 2020 census revealed three out of six voting districts in San Angelo experienced significant population growth.
District 1, which includes Lake Nasworthy and southern portions of the city, grew by 15.83%, a shift from 15,772 residents in 2010 to a total of 18,269 people in 2020.
In District 4 on San Angelo's eastern side, the population grew from 14,967 people in 2010 to a total of 16,635 people in 2020, a growth of 11.14%, according to census data.
The most amount of growth happened in District 6 near areas around Southland Boulevard, where census data states the population grew by 18.93%, from 15,735 people in 2010 to 18,714 people a decade later.
According to municipal documents, Districts 3 and 4 in San Angelo "remain strong minority districts," with Hispanic, Asian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and other multiracial populations seeing increases in the population and voting age overall.
The 2020 census revealed that Anglo, Black and American Indian populations have decreased in voting age and population, according to city documents.
Officials said the current plan is to make "minimal changes to boundaries and ensure all incumbent Council Members remain in their current districts."
Make your voice heard on these dates:
Two meetings will be held allowing San Angelo residents to make their voices heard before the City redraws its voting maps.
The City will host an evening public forum at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021 at City Hall, 72 W. College Ave., in the East Mezzanine.
A second public hearing will take place at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, at the McNease Convention Center, 500 Concho Drive, during the regularly scheduled city council meeting.
Get more information:
The preliminary plan and other information about the City’s proposed redistricting of the council member districts will be available at the two meetings, and online at cosatx.us/redistricting.
Officials said the public can inspect the documents in person during normal business hours at the City Clerk’s Office, 72 W. College Ave., Suite 204, Monday through Friday until Dec. 6.
For more information, contact the City Clerk’s office at julia.antilley@cosatx.us, 325-656-4405 or visit cosatx.us/redistricting.
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John Tufts covers enterprise and investigative topics in West Texas. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Public forums scheduled before San Angelo redraws its voting map
