Gerrymandering/Redistricting

The divide between New York's good-government groups over a proposed change to the redistricting system came into stark focus on Tuesday: One announced a lawsuit opposing the language of the ballot measure that will be put before voters this fall; the other held a teleconference to build support for its approval.

The Capital Times published an editorial today supporting Common Cause Wisconsin’s call for candidates to make their views known on redistricting reform. Of the 99 Assembly races that will be decided in November, 52 candidates will run without major party opposition as a result of gerrymandering.

Common Cause Florida Chair Peter Butzin criticized the Florida State Legislature’s proposed congressional map in Reuters yesterday for its continued packing of minority voters to limit their influence on surrounding districts.

Common Cause and the League of Women Voters of Florida jointly wrote two letters to the leadership of the Florida Legislature last week during the special session called to redraw the state’s congressional districts. Judge Terry Lewis ruled that current districts violate new state constitutional provisions forbidding partisanship to be a factor in the redrawing of lines and ordered the Legislature to draw a new map by August 15.

A Syracuse Post-Standard editorial criticized New York state’s Board of Elections for using “independent” in the official ballot language describing a proposed commission to redraw legislative lines after each census.

The New York State Board of Elections approved language on August 1 that describes a November ballot measure as creating an “independent” commission on legislative redistricting. Common Cause New York criticized the language as confusing and misleading because the leadership and appointees of the legislature would make appointments to the proposed commission that will then draw the legislators’ districts.