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Sign Petitions To Support Sensible Political Districts

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 4, 2009

One of the facts of political life in Florida has long been that the party in power after the 10-year U.S. census gets to overhaul legislative and congressional districts without regard to existing geographical boundaries or communities.

Most recently in 2002, Republican leaders drew the lines to benefit their party. Like the Democrats before them, they proceeded as though redistricting were an incumbent protection system. Lawmakers configured "safe" districts designed to keep them in power, sometimes with lines so contorted voters could hardly be expected to know the names of their representatives.

The city of Temple Terrace, for example, is represented by three members of Congress.

Such a preposterous result would not recur in 2011-2012, the next reapportionment, if voters get the chance to change the Florida Constitution and set standards for a fairer process - one that would prevent lawmakers from drawing districts to "favor or disfavor" a political party or incumbent.

That's the way the process should work, but it doesn't. The law allows gerrymandering and other political power grabs that result in districts that make no geographical sense whatsoever. And considering computer technology gives parties extremely detailed information about voters and their voting habits, removing political favoritism from the process carries more urgency today than it did in 2002.

And so it was good news last week when the Florida Supreme Court ruled initiatives to prevent favoritism in legislative and congressional redistricting could be placed on the ballot in 2010 if the amendments' sponsor, FairDistrictsFlorida.org, can collect enough signatures from the state's voters. To make the ballot, each amendment will need 676,811 signatures. These are petitions worth signing.

"The overall goal of the proposed amendments is to require the Legislature to redistrict in a manner that prohibits favoritism or discrimination, while respecting geographical considerations," wrote Justice Fred Lewis for the court.

The proposed amendments would require that districts be compact and respect community boundaries. The districts should be as equal in population as feasible and should not discriminate on the basis of race or language.

Approving these standards will improve the process. Wedges should not be driven between communities, counties and voters, yet that's what politically driven redistricting does. Removing selfish political motives from the process is the main goal of FairDistrictsFlorida.

The Republican-dominated Legislature, of course, fought the ballot initiatives, arguing the language is misleading and violates the single-subject rule. But the court rejected lawmakers' limp arguments.

Senate Reapportionment Chairman Mike Haridopolos, who is in line to be Senate president during the next reapportionment, spoke for the party in power when he said last week he is afraid passage of the amendments would mean the courts would ultimately decide how districts would be redrawn.

But even if passed, the Legislature would still be holding the pen, and the court's role in reviewing redistricting plans will not have changed.

Voters have good reason to see these initiatives make the ballot A logical electoral map that keeps neighborhoods together could reinvigorate a healthy two-party system where voters pick their politicians rather than the other way around.

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