AUSTIN, Texas -- With Texas legislators poised to redraw the state's political maps this year, many Texans have asked While legislators wait for delayed census data to arrive, they're gathering public input. Though the public's suggestions for how to group districts don't always impact how maps are drawn, records of that input can be pulled into the eventual court record to show whether a committee disregarded the public's recommendations when there are concerns about the legality of maps. "Public input can be really important in building a public record to help show that you're discriminating against communities of color or that you're drawing maps in other impermissible ways," redistricting expert Michael Li, senior counsel at New York University's Brennan Center for Justice, said in a past interview with The Texas Tribune. "So, public input is hugely important in building the record for potential litigation. It is sometimes less important in the actual drawing of the maps because the reality is that it's a very political process and people start with political goals in mind, and those are oftentimes paramount."