Gainesville Sun:
Grasping Power
Editorial Board
Gainesville Sun
Apr 18, 2010
Politicians will never voluntarily surrender political power. But what legislative leaders are preparing to do to thwart a pair citizen-generated proposed state constitutional amendments is nothing short of despicable.
Amendments 5 and 6, dubbed the Fair Districts amendments, would prohibit the drawing of congressional and legislative districts for the purpose of favoring incumbents or giving one political party an advantage over the other. In other words, they seek to take the politics out of redistricting.
But this week legislators are expected to strike back with a proposed amendment of their own. If passed it would have the effect of neutralizing amendments 5 and 6 in the event that voters approve them in November.
Lawmakers say the amendment is necessary to protect minority voting rights. But a letter from Leon W. Russell, a member of the Florida NAACP Executive Committee, calls that assertion "preposterous on its face," and the legislative initiative "a sham."
What the Legislature is really trying to do is protect its ability to bend, shape and mangle districts as its most powerful members see fit. Floridians shouldn't stand for it.