Reforming the Redistricting Process
Redistricting amendments on the ballot: Florida voters earn historic chance to vote to stop politicians from rigging districts
After November passage voters will choose elected officials – not the other way around
Tallahassee, FL - January 22, 2010 – Today, Floridians took a giant step towards ending the incumbent and political party protection plan that masquerades as legislative and Congressional redistricting. The non-partisan group FairDistrictsFlorida.org gathered more than 1,650,000 petitions signed by Florida Republicans, Democrats and Independents from the Panhandle to the Keys. As a result, today the Secretary of State certified Constitutional Amendment 5 for the November 2, 2010 ballot, and is expected to soon certify its partner, Amendment 6. Florida voters now have a powerful opportunity to stop legislators from rigging and manipulating district boundaries in order to stifle competition while perpetuating their own political power.
“These critical reforms will finally end the legalized conflict of interest that allows legislators to design their districts and those of Congress for their own political purposes,” said Bob Milligan, who was elected State Comptroller during the Lawton Chiles and Jeb Bush administrations.
Under our present system, there are no rules that limit legislators from drawing districts to favor themselves or their parties. Districts in Florida are bizarrely shaped, often meandering for hundreds of miles or from coast to coast. Communities are carved up so that voters living in the same neighborhood are often represented by different members of Congress or state representatives.
As a result, incumbent legislators almost never lose their re-election bids. Only three (out of 140 up for election each cycle) were defeated in the last six years. How could this happen? Because legislators draw up their own districts for one purpose: to ensure that they stay in office!
Former Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham said, “Florida’s legislators are choosing their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives. There are presently no rules to stop this self protection plan. And when this happens, the voters don’t have a real choice! These amendments will change that.”
With voter approval in November, Amendments 5 and 6 will establish constitutional rules that will: Prohibit politicians from designing districts to favor themselves or their parties; Require them to make the districts compact and community based; and Make it impossible for legislators to draw districts to diminish the ability of minority voters to elect representatives.
“I am so happy that the voters of Florida will finally have the opportunity to vote to put these fairness standards in the Florida constitution. These amendments provide new protections for all voters and especially minorities,” added Representative Perry Thurston of Broward County.
State Representative Darren Soto, Orange County, said, “Today’s certification bodes well for achieving fair districts in the state of Florida. I think that these new protections will be very popular with my constituents as well as all of the voters of our great state.”
This is phenomenal news! Thanks to the hard work and donations of thousands of people who care about our state, our amendments will be on the ballot!!! This is a huge accomplishment and it would not have happened without the work of Florida Keys Democrats in gathering hundreds and hundreds of signatures!
We cannot thank you enough.
Our work is not over though. Now we must let all Floridians know about the importance of voting for the FairDistricts amendments. A campaign for victory will be setup soon, but first we need to staff up and transition from petition gathering to a full-fledged campaign.
Can you chip in whatever you can afford to help fund the transition?
Let's win this!
For additional information and the exact language of Amendments 5 and 6, please visit www.FairDistrictsFlorida.org.
FairDistrictsFlorida.org is a nonpartisan state committee working to reform the way our state draws legislative and congressional district lines by establishing constitutionally mandated fairness standards. Signing these petitions will allow voters to decide if the legislature should follow fairness standards when drawing districts. Signing the petitions simply allows you and all other Florida voters to decide whether to approve each of the two amendments. Sign both petitions to make fair districts possible in Florida!
PETITION 1: Standards for drawing congressional district boundaries.
What will appear on the ballot:
Congressional districts may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party. Districts shall not be drawn to deny racial or language minorities the equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice. Districts must be contiguous. Unless otherwise required, districts must be compact, as equal in population as feasible, and where feasible must make use of existing city, county and geographical boundaries.
PETITION 2: Standards for drawing legislative district boundaries.
What will appear on the ballot:
Legislative districts may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party. Districts shall not be drawn to deny racial or language minorities the equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice. Districts must be contiguous. Unless otherwise required, districts must be compact, as equal in population as feasible, and where feasible must make use of existing city, county and geographical boundaries.
Under Florida law, these proposed amendments can be placed on the ballot after Supreme Court approval and the collection of approximately 676,811 signed petitions for each amendment (Note: the organizers feel collection of 800,000 petitions for each proposed amendment will insure that the above threshold of verified signatures is met).
With your support, FairDistrictsFlorida.org will have the resources to end the political free-for-all and replace it with a system that requires natural fairness and competition in legislative and congressional elections. Floridians will have a fair chance to choose their representatives in Congress and the legislature. Legislators will no longer be permitted to manipulate the system to preserve their own power and the dominance of their party.
What is the purpose of redistricting?
Every ten years, after the census, the boundaries of our congressional, state house and state senate districts are redrawn. This was originally intended to be sure that districts are roughly equal in population -- to make sure that every vote counts equally.
Who makes the districting decisions?
The Florida Legislature. When the legislature passes a congressional or legislative redistricting plan, it's just like other legislation. All representatives and senators vote on the plan. The party that controls the legislature controls redistricting. The plan that gets the majority vote becomes the legislature's plan. No matter which party has control of the legislature, that party's main goal is to protect its majority and the seats of its incumbents. This is called partisan political gerrymandering. It is like allowing the fox to guard the henhouse!
How do they Gerrymander districts?
Florida's present system permits politicians to choose their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives. Legislators use sophisticated computers, voter registration data and past election returns to predict how particular voters will vote in the future. Then they choose which voters are most likely to vote for them and their party and place just enough of those voters in "safe" districts -- ones they are sure they can win. Those in charge also pack large numbers of unfavorable voters in into a few districts so the unfriendly voters will have a chance to win in fewer districts.
Districts are bizarrely shaped. There is no effort to make sure cities and counties are kept together in districts. That is why communities are often split among several representatives and districts often cover multiple counties and communities. This manipulation of the process damages the very spirit of a fair, democratic election. Another result is that there are rarely serious challenges to incumbents. After all, their districts are specially designed for them! With virtually certain seats, legislators have no incentive to be responsive to their constituents and they see no reason to compromise for the public good.
What do we need to do to stop the legislators from drawing district lines for their own political gain?
Now our constitution contains no standards to prevent politicians from putting partisan politics ahead of Florida voters. Presently, the law only requires that districts be roughly equal in population and that they consist of contiguous territory. That means that all parts of the district must touch. But the legislators even stretch that rule to the max. A connecting strip a yard wide and miles long satisfies that requirement. An example is Senate District 27 which is considered "contiguous". Sometimes contiguity is accomplished by crossing bodies of water -- like Congressional District 11 which covers parts of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties.
How will the new rules make a difference?
The new rules or standards proposed by FairDistrictsFlorida.org will prohibit drawing districts to favor an incumbent or a party. While ensuring that racial and language minority voters have the equal opportunity to participate in the political process, the standards will require that districts be compact and community based. Communities -- like Seminole County -- will not be divided among multiple representatives.
What will happen if we do not establish standards?
Legislators will continue to perpetuate their own power through political gerrymandering. So while Florida is a politically balanced state, its Congressional and legislative representation will not be! Presently Democrats and Republicans are registered to vote in Florida in roughly equal numbers with independents making up 20% of the voters. Yet one major party holds almost two-thirds of the Congressional and legislative seats. There are no independents in the Florida Legislature or in our Congressional delegation. This is because the party that controlled both houses of the legislature at the last redistricting in 2001, drew the boundaries to create "safe" "can't lose" districts. Whichever party was in charge would have done the same thing. Whichever party controls the legislature in the 2011 redistricting, the political playing field will remain unbalanced -- unless we change the rules to make it unconstitutional for them to conduct business as usual.
How can we make the legislators follow the standards?
The procedure for redistricting is set forth in the Florida Constitution. In order to stop the legislators from this self interested power grab, we must amend the constitution. The first step is to collect signatures on 1.6 million petitions so that the voters will have an opportunity to vote.
Get active! Sign the petitions! Get others to sign! Volunteer and Contribute!
This Fact Sheet prepared from excerpts on the fairdistrictsflorida.org website.
EDITORIAL COMMENTS ON FLORIDA REDISTRICTING
"Every 10 years, the Florida Constitution requires the Legislature to work together to undermine the concept of 'one person, one vote.'" (Daytona News Journal)
"Gerrymandering isn't anything new, and it's beloved by incumbents because it keeps possible challengers with their noses pressed against almost unbreakable glass." (Tallahassee Democrat)
"David Winston, a consultant who has helped Republicans redraw boundaries nationally, is not coy about the results... 'When I, as a mapmaker, have more of an impact on an election than the voters, the system in out of whack.'" (SP Times)
"It's akin to choosing your hand in a poker game. If you pick a bunch of winning cards, it's a lot less likely your opponent — if you draw one — will be dealt a hand that can beat you." (Tallahassee Democrat)
"Legislators who represent such safe districts are less accountable to voters. They are more likely to cater to their party's base in office than to seek bipartisan solutions to pressing problems." (Orlando Sentinel)
"The fact is, the rules of redistricting serve the interests of politicians more than voters. That discourages broader participation in politics by potential candidates and voters alike, and also deepens cynicism among citizens." (Tallahassee Democrat)
"The simple and overriding truth is that gerrymandering by either party is an affront to democracy and to the expectation that all men and women are equal under the law." (Sarasota Herald Tribune)
"Make politicians earn re-election; don't let it con tinue being an entitlement." (Florida Times Union)
"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." (Tampa Tribune)
"You are the people, so stand up and sign the petitions." (Florida Today)