As the Louisiana Legislature prepares to enter a veto override session, local officials have spoken out about continuing concerns regarding the effects of redistricting here in the Teche Area.

Senate President Page Cortez and House Speaker Clay Schexnayder announced that the session would be happening this Wednesday, signaling that both the House and Senate have an interest in overriding the veto set forth by Gov. John Bel Edwards.

U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins sounded off against the redistricting map Monday, citing that the redistricting process divides St. Martin and St. Mary parishes.

“The Schexnayder map details are troubling enough, unnecessarily dividing St. Mary and St. Martin Parishes in ways that directly contradict the will of those citizens, my constituents,” Higgins said in a statement sent to The Daily Iberian Monday evening. “Beyond the details of the Schexnayder map, tragically, the map itself was born of unrighteous, deceitful backroom negotiations in BR (Baton Rouge).

“This deception was, no doubt, largely unknown to legislators prior to the vote,” Higgins added. “The deceit, along with the map’s specific injury to St. Mary and St. Martin Parish, is what drives my rejection of the Schexnayder map.”

After long-standing work to redistrict Louisiana’s congressional map to align with the 2020 census, Edwards vetoed the proposed plan on March 9. Edwards said at the time that the makeup of the map did not accurately reflect the makeup of Louisiana and notably did not include a second majority Black district.

However, local legislators also had issues about the redistricting process and its effects on parts of Iberia Parish.

House Rep. Blake Miguez said in February that Senate District 22 would break apart St. Martin and Iberia parishes, which have had a longstanding relationship as part of a shared district.

Under the new plan, parts of Iberia and St. Martin parishes would be torn into other districts, effectively ending a longstanding political unity in the legislature.

“I can tell you the folks in Iberia and St. Martin are not going to be happy about this,” Miguez said before the bill was passed.

Should the legislature successfully override the governor’s veto Wednesday, the proposed map will carry through. If the veto fails, the redistricting process could be prolonged even longer as legislators try to create a map that will appease all parties.