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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2018)
June 20, 2018 The Skanner Page 9 News By David A. Lieb Associated Press U.S. Supreme Court ruling Mon- day on redistrict- ing lawsuits in Wisconsin and Mary- land comes as several states already are con- sidering changes to the criteria and processes that will be used to draw legislative districts after the 2020 Census. In most places, the state legislature and governor are responsible for redis- tricting U.S. House and state legislative seats. More than a dozen states primarily use boards or commissions to redraw state legislative districts, and about a half-dozen do so for congressional districts. Here’s a look at pro- posed redistricting mea- sures that already have been — or are likely to be — placed on ballots this year: A COLORADO Issues: Two proposed constitutional amend- ments placed on the Nov. 6 ballot by the state Legis- lature affecting congres- sional and state legisla- tive redistricting. Status quo: Congress: four Republicans, three Democrats. State Senate: 18 Republicans, 16 Dem- ocrats, one independent. State House: 36 Demo- crats, 29 Republicans. Current process: For Congress, the state Leg- islature passes a redis- tricting plan by a ma- jority vote, subject to a gubernatorial veto. For the Legislature, House and Senate districts are drawn by an 11-member commission consisting of four bipartisan legis- lative appointees, three gubernatorial appoin- tees and four members chosen by the chief jus- tice. Maps are automat- ically submitted to the state Supreme Court for review and, if rejected, the commission is given another chance to draw maps. Proposed process: For both Congress and state legislative cham- bers, a 12-person com- mission — consisting of four Republicans, four Democrats and four in- dependents — would be selected from a pool of applicants. Half would be chosen randomly and the rest by a judicial panel. Nonpartisan leg- islative staff would draft proposed maps for the commission’s approval, which would require at least eight votes includ- ing two from indepen- dents. The state Supreme Court then would review the maps to determine whether legal criteria were followed. If not, leg- islative staff would draft a new plan for the com- mission to submit to the court. Proposed criteria: Dis- tricts would have to be nearly equal in popu- lation, compact and as much as possible pre- serve communities of in- terest such as racial and ethnic groups and whole cities and counties. The commission also would have to “maximize the number of politically competitive districts.” OHIO Issue: Constitutional amendment affecting congressional redistrict- ing, approved by 75 per- cent of voters on May 8. Status quo: Congress: 11 Republicans, four Demo- crats, one vacancy. Old process: State Leg- islature passes a redis- tricting plan by a ma- jority vote, subject to a gubernatorial veto. New process: State Legislature passes a redistricting plan by a three-fifths majority with support of at least half the members of the majority and minority parties, subject to a gu- bernatorial veto. If that fails, districts are drawn by a seven-member com- mission composed of two majority and two minority party lawmak- ers, the governor, au- ditor and secretary of state; approval requires four votes, including two each from majority and minority party com- missioners. If that fails, the Legislature may pass a plan by a three-fifths vote with the support of at least one-third of the majority and minority party members, subject to a gubernatorial veto. If that fails, the Legisla- ture may pass a plan by a majority subject to a gubernatorial veto, but it would remain in effect for only four years in- stead of 10. New Criteria: Districts must protect racial mi- nority voting rights, be compact and contiguous, and limit the number of counties and cities that are split among multiple districts. MICHIGAN Issue: Petition signa- tures submitted for a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot affecting congres- sional and state legisla- tive redistricting. The state appeals court has ordered that it be certi- fied for the ballot, but an appeal is pending with the Michigan Supreme Court. Status quo: Congress: nine Republicans, four Democrats, one vacancy. State Senate: 27 Republi- cans, 10 Democrats, one vacancy. State House: 63 Republicans, 46 Demo- crats, one vacancy. Current process: State Legislature passes redis- tricting plans by a ma- jority vote, subject to a gubernatorial veto. Proposed process: Dis- tricts would be drawn by a 13-member citizens’ commission, composed of four Democrats, four Republicans and five in- dependents randomly selected by the secretary of state from among ap- plicants. Approval of districts would require a majority vote with sup- port of at least two Dem- ocrats, two Republicans and two independents. If that fails, each com- missioner would submit PHOTO CRIS GONZALES (CC BY-SA 3.0) VIA WIKIPEDIA Redistricting Changes Headed to the Ballot in Several States See DISTRICTS on page 11 This photo portrays the Colorado state capitol in Denver. Colorado is one of a handful of states that will vote on changes to its congressional districts this fall. CARE ABOUT COMMUNITY POLICING? 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