The End Of Gerrymandering (Liberal California Moves To New Redistricting Model Alert)

The Weekly Standard ^ | 11/25/2008 | Christian Whiton

[goldstategop]

But it was the unheralded passage of another initiative that may make the most history and crimp Democrat hopes for a prolonged era of dominance.

Proposition 11, which passed with the narrowest of margins (50.8 percent), could mark the most serious challenge to the political class by voters since the foiled term limit movement of the 1990s. It strikes at the core pillar of power: incumbency guaranteed through gerrymandered districts. Californians took away from their legislature the power to draw its own districts--a key element of nearly uninterrupted Democratic control since 1970. The task will now be handled by an eight-member commission chosen much like a jury, whose members cannot come from the political class.

Incumbent legislators have lost perhaps their best tool for avoiding competitive elections, long a disgraceful ritual in Sacramento and other state capitals following the once-a-decade census. The legislature still gets to draw districts for U.S. House seats, but here too it must adhere to rules that bind the new commission--namely keeping counties and cities whole as much as possible. Gerrymandered districts will now be more vulnerable to legal challenges.

The initiative passed narrowly, but undoubtedly attracted considerable non-Republican support in a state where registered Democrats exceed Republicans 44 percent to 31 percent and where Barack Obama won 61 percent of the vote. The California Democratic party opposed the measure, as did teachers and other government employee unions that have the most to lose in a fair redistricting of the state. A range of good government types from across the political spectrum joined the Yes on 11 campaign. These included groups as diverse as the AARP, the League of Women Voters and the Chamber of Commerce.

[goldstategop]

Its a little noticed heralded reform in California that passed by a nail-biter margin in the most liberal bastion in the country: gerrymandering reform. It will work like this:

California's model is novel and could well appeal to voters in other states. The eight-member commission will consist of three Democrats, three Republicans and two independents. Most voters can apply to be on the commission, but anyone linked to elected officials, parties, lobbyists or political consultants is excluded, as are major donors. Independent auditors choose 20 applicants from each of the three groups. State leaders from both parties are allowed to strike up to eight people total from each group, similar to jury selection, and auditors then choose randomly the final eight commission members from those who remain.

Californians have taken redistricting out of the hands of self-interested politicians and given it to an independent citizen body. Instead of drawing districts to protect the party in power and give maximum advantage to incumbents, districts will now be drawn to represent communities of interests and voters. Hopefully, this will lead to fair and competitive elections. Its the dawn of a new era in American politics in the country's most populous state.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Saundra Duffy]

It’ll never work; makes too much sense . . . or the courts will overturn it.

[Chet 99]

I am concerned the GOP will LOSE seats with this. The GOP held on to many seats this year with huge GOP registration advantages, just by the skin of their teeth.

[goldstategop]

I don't think gerrymandering can be defended as a practice on equal protection grounds. The model has worked in Canada with very good results. The principle behind Prop. 11 is a simple one: politicians should not be allowed to choose their own voters; the voters should choose their elected officials.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[muawiyah]

So they draw up new districts ~ and the Democrats win all of them. What then?

[doodad]

I have always thought that the states should be districted by computer calculating an even number of people per district area. More districts in urban areas, fewer and larger ones in rural areas. But, even and without regard to neighborhoods and race.

But, that reduces power so it will never happen.

[goldstategop]

The GOP has wilted because it has no chance of winning a majority under the Democrats' scheme. The GOP has to change its ground game and now run candidates state-wide. If it can't do that, then it deserves to go the way of the Whigs.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[AngelesCrestHighway]

If the voters want it it’s one thing....

If California Democrats don’t want it it’s gone!....

[goldstategop]

In most states, the politicians do the drawing. Prop. 11 is not a perfect solution to the evils of gerrymandering but insistence on the perfect is the enemy of the good. This reform will allow the lopsided table that now favors the Democrats to become in theory at least, an even playing field. No one can be sure what will happen since this a new model of doing that decennial redrawing of representative districts. But it can't be much worse that what California has had and could even turn out to be an improvement. The status quo is killing the Republican Party.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Mr. K]

"The task will now be handled by an eight-member commission chosen much like a jury"

Chosen much like a liberal jury? I seen nothing here that hints at real changes, this just takes effor away from the politicians and palms it off on a group of 8 partisans, so that the politicals will have more time for graft and fraud and power acquisition.

[goldstategop]

They tried to kill it. The entire Democratic Party establishment and every liberal special group was against Prop. 11. It still passed and that means the 2010 elections are not going to be all that critical to how the boundaries are drawn over the next decade.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[KarlInOhio]

How about this one: All congressional districts run the entire width of California. Their north/south distance is chosen to equalize the population in each. I wonder how that would work out and who would be elected.

One state (maybe Iowa) has a requirement that all districts should have a minimal border length, so the districts are pretty much square instead of long districts following highways to connect two cities together like one state had.

[goldstategop]

A plan has to be agreed to by 8 of the 14 commissioners. There will be public hearings into the plan and if the commission cannot agree on a map, then a Supreme Court special master will do it. I'm betting that 14 citizens not connected to the political class will do a better and fairer job than the crowd now running Sacramento. We've told we must leave things up to the professionals and look where that has gotten California. Its time for a change. Trust the people!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[goldstategop]

The State Legislature will be required to draw congressional boundaries under the same set of criteria as that used for state representative offices. The amount of political fixing they can do has been severely limited.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[JSDude1]

I’ve always favored a system such as this: (state) House of Reps determined by proportions-population, (state) Senate= 1 Senator per County. Simply, non gerrymandered (except some vulnerable on the House of Representatives side), and makes sense.

[bboop]

We California Republicans look forward to a bit more representation in Sacramento.... Eleven is good, I think.

[Atlas Sneezed]

How about this one: All congressional districts run the entire width of California. Their north/south distance is chosen to equalize the population in each. I wonder how that would work out and who would be elected.

---

Yes, and mathemeticians can come up with an optimal algorithm that tends to group “neighbors” together, and not arbitrarily split population centers.

Another option is to default to county lines, and then divide the more populous counties, and join the less populous counties.

[mvpel]

I am concerned the GOP will LOSE seats with this. The GOP held on to many seats this year with huge GOP registration advantages, just by the skin of their teeth.

The only reason they have huge GOP registration advantages is because the Democrats gerrymandered the Republicans into little GOP reservations.

[MainFrame65]

A large registration advantage in one district can very well mean a SMALL registration DISADVANTAGE in TWO OTHER districts. If I’m a R, I really want as many 80% D districts as I can create, because every vote over 50%+1 is “WASTED”.

[MainFrame65]

Of course the primary measure is population, but the gerrymander limit ought to be the ratio of boundary length to area - perhaps with a special rule for an urban district completely enclosed by a rural area.