I have been working on a series regarding redistricting, which I hope to get posted soon. In the meantime, the landscape changed a bit today with the reintroduction of a bi-partisan solution to the problem by House Democratic Caucus Chair Brian Moran.
The legislation, originally co-sponsored by then delegate, now House Speaker, William J. Howell and then Senator, now Senate Majority Leader, Walter Stosch in 1992, will create a bi-partisan redistricting commission ensuring districts are fairly drawn based on population without regard to partisan advantage.
Chairman Moran’s press release references the League of Women Voters two-part study on redistricting. But that was not the end of the process. On November 18, the League undertook another effort aimed at developing a consensus as to what our position on redistricting should be. I say “our” because, as a member of the LWV-SHR, I served as the resource person for that activity. Doing the research in order to serve in that capacity was what prompted me to write some posts on the topic.
For now, suffice it to say that Virginia needs to look very closely at how redistricting is done, and address the lack of competitiveness in our elections by drawing districts differently.
Kudos to Chairman Moran for reintroducing this important legislation.
Technorati Tags: Brian Moran
For the record, while its Great that Moran is getting behind the idea, this is a Creigh Deeds initiative.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?061+sum+SJ45
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+sum+SJ307
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?041+sum+SJ3
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?031+sum+SJ281
Posted by James Martin | Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 6:09 pmAre any of those the original 1992 legislation? I can’t tell from the links.
Posted by vjp | Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 6:19 pmBrian Moran in 2006
Redistricting Study – http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?061+sum+HJ139
Brian Moran in 2005
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?041+sum+HJ202
Brian Moran in 2003
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?021+sum+HJ204
I’m proud that Brian came up with a new way to go about this issue – reintroducing something that Republicans have taken a position on in the past….
Reforming redistricting isn’ a Brian Moran initiative, or Creigh Deeds. Jim Shuler has sponsored it before So has Kris Amundson. So have a number of other members. Brian is the first one to put it this way – the first one to get creative about it!
Posted by friendlyvirginian | Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 6:28 pmNot sure… but one of Creigh’s priorities over the last 4 years has been shoving this through the Senate.. and in 2005 it almost passed!
Anyway, while its nice Brian has taken the issue up, Creigh has been the champion of non-partisan redistricting since 2001.
Posted by James Martin | Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 6:34 pm*almost made it out of committee i mean
Posted by James Martin | Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 6:35 pmAnd Jim Shuler and Kris Amundson should definitely be recognized for their leadership! (same with Brian Moran)
Posted by James Martin | Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 7:16 pmI have proposed using the Census data, which has population down to the block level available FREE, to write a computer program that will generate districts that best equalize populations while minimizing the perimeters of the districts, which avoids such snake-like districts as Moran’s father’s.
Even better is an idea put forward by Lani Guinier (who withdrew her nomination for Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Div. of the Justice Department) that we abolish the districts entirely, and vote at large. The twist is that we get as many votes as we have Representatives (11 in Virginia), and that we can cast our votes in any way we like. Thus, she reasoned, Blacks might cast all of their votes for a single Black candidate, to ensure he is elected. Libertarians and Communists might do the same, if they have enough voters. That way we would get people who represent us as people, not as residents. For instance, a libertarian in Norfolk has interests more in common with a libertaian in Northern Virginia than with a socialist in Norfolk.
And the bonus is NO REDISTRICTING!!
Posted by Jack | Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 9:06 pm