 |
 |
From StrausNews.com:
MoreThe leaders of New York’s powerful legislative majorities aren’t backing a proposal for independent, nonpartisan redrawing of election district lines aimed at making races more competitive.
Senate Democratic leader John Sampson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver say they plan some changes to the current system that has protected majorities in control of the chambers for decades.
No CommentsCribbing from the Civic Forum PAC:
Hat tip to Swing State Project for catching the recent goings-on in regard to redistricting in Florida and Illinois.
Here’s the status of redistricting measures currently at issue in Florida, via the Washington Independent’s Jimm Phillips:
The Florida legislature approved a state constitutional amendment yesterday that, like two citizen-sponsored amendments also on the November ballot, aims to change the state’s redistricting rules…
The two citizen-sponsored amendments — one covers state legislative redistricting, the other U.S. congressional — would prevent the legislature from drawing maps that favor incumbents or candidates from a particular political party, and would require districts be compact and contiguous and to follow existing geographic and political boundaries as much as possible. A citizen-sponsored amendment must get enough signatures to equal eight percent of the number of voters in the last presidential election – 676,811 for 2010 – in order to qualify for the ballot.
Read the rest of the post here.
More No CommentsSen. Mike Haridopolos talks about redistricting and what the Florida legislature is doing to protect voters. From the Sunshine State News:
1 CommentFrom Sunshine State News:
MoreIt appears that Floridians will vote in November on competing ballot initiatives on redistricting — and Democrats are divided on which option is better.
More than 1.7 million Floridians signed petitions calling for changes to the ways the Legislature draws up congressional and state legislative seats. Sponsored by Fair Districts Florida, the petitions placed two amendments on the November ballot that require legislators to create geographically compact districts and prohibit them from creating districts that favor certain incumbents or political parties.
Republicans — and some key Democrats — in the Legislature oppose the amendments and have moved their own through committees that would clarify the Fair District measures and have redistricting follow existing federal guidelines.
Democrats from both the House and Senate spoke out against the clarifying amendments on Thursday morning. “There’s no need for it,” said Rep. Perry Thurston of Plantation. “It’s going to cause confusion.”
The Democrats argued that the clarifying amendments would not help minority voters.
No CommentsApparently the Denver Post is a little squeamish over what Colorado House Democrats are trying to accomplish with their simple “house cleaning” bill that will impact the Congressional redistricting process in Colorado.
MoreHere we are, in the waning weeks of the state legislative session, and Democratic leadership has introduced a bill that would whack a big part of congressional redistricting law from the books.
Just house cleaning, the Democrats say, not to worry.
Color us skeptical.
Nothing is more political than the re-drawing of congressional boundaries, and both political parties have engaged in their share of strategy (and shenanigans) over the years to better position themselves to capture or retain seats in Congress. (Remember the Republicans’ “midnight gerrymander” of 2003?)
House Bill 1408, introduced late last week, has not been heard in committee, so there is little in the way of public record, or clues as to what it portends.
No Comments