Getting A Grip on Power

Nowhere is the growing clout of Hispanics more evident than in the battles over redrawing local-, state- and congressional-election maps based on the 1990 Census. Armed with small computers, Latino activists are trying to translate their swelling numbers into political power by creating districts in which Hispanic voters are the majority.

Hispanic leaders say they hope to double their seats in Congress, from 10 to 19, and add scores of Latinos to legislatures and city councils. California, Texas and Florida, where Latino population gains have been largest over the past decade, hold the most potential for Hispanic political gains. Says Andy Hernandez, president of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project: "Redistricting is the best chance for Hispanics to protect their rights, participate in government and make democracy work for them."

The activists' key weapon is the Voting Rights Act, which permits the U.S. Justice Department to veto any districting plan that dilutes the voting strength of minorities. Last week the Justice Department blocked the use of a new redistricting plan for the New York city council on the grounds that it "consistently disfavored" Hispanic voters.

One challenge for Latinos is to craft new election boundaries that will ensure winnable districts without aggravating Hispanics' tense relationships with blacks. In Houston, for example, blacks and browns have clashed over school-board realignments and a proposed city council expansion. "The big question is, Where do you draw the lines?" says Franklin Jones, a political scientist at Texas Southern University. "As Hispanics strengthen their push toward inclusion, we'll see more conflicts."

All the remapping will count for little if Latinos cannot mobilize on Election Day. Although they are 26% of the Texas population, Hispanics constitute only 14% of the registered voters -- and barely 50% of them / actually vote. "But when people discover that their vote can make a difference," Hernandez predicts, "they will turn out in record numbers."