Every one of us is suffering the problems of democracy, whether we have a political affiliation or not. The federal government right now is trying to “rip off the Band-Aid” for problems festering unresolved from long ago. It is painful and ugly.
But state governments have the power, one might say obligation, to make improvements that can change the dynamic.
One thing state governments can do that the federal government cannot is determine voting districts. In the past 20 years, data-mining aided partisan and racial gerrymandering to preserve a single party’s advantage. We can change that with an amendment to the state Constitution described in state Senate Bill 131 and its mirror, state House Bill 31.
Senate Bill 131 already has 16 co-sponsors. House Bill 31 already has 42 co-sponsors.
The independent redistricting commission that would be created by SB 131/HB 31 is intentionally devoid of political influence from current legislators, elected officials, lobbyists or families and staff of such. Lack of political entanglement is basically all the “requirement” one needs to apply to be a commissioner, but letters of recommendation, education and skills are also part of suitability. The random process of selection is transparent.
When it comes to choosing a final map, SB 131 and HB 31 have made a change from previous bills: The state Supreme Court is no longer the final arbiter if commissioners cannot agree on a final map. Instead, the maps are ranked by commissioners and eliminated until one winning map remains. This change removes yet another means of partisan influence.
Patricia Rooney
Lancaster
