Gov. Scott Stalls New Redistricting Standards
Jan 26, 2011
Just days after taking office, Governor Rick Scott withdrew Florida's new redistricting standards, overwhelmingly supported by Florida voters in November, from a required federal review process. It's unclear what effect his actions will have on the implementation of the standards, but supporters of the reform measures question his motives.
The measures, numbered on the ballot as Amendments 5 and 6, are intended to prevent legislators from drawing district lines to favor a particular political party or incumbent elected official during reapportionment. The current gerrymandered districts make it nearly impossible for most lawmakers to be defeated. Instead, under the new standards, districts would have to be drawn to respect existing communities and city and county boundaries without regard to voters' political registration. (You can read all about the measures and why they are so important to reforming our political system in CIVIC's article.)
Under the federal Voting Rights Act, Florida needs to get "pre-clearance" of any changes to its elections laws that may affect minority voting rights. Outgoing Gov. Charlie Crist had filed the paperwork seeking approval with the U.S. Department of Justice on Dec. 10. On January 7, Scott's administration filed a one-sentence letter withdrawing the request.
The reapportionment process is scheduled to begin in March when the federal government will transmit the data from the 2010 census. New lines must be drawn in time for the the 2012 election.
Scott's office claims that the withdrawal was part of his freeze on all new state regulation and that there will be plenty of time to get approval. Supporters of the reforms have cried foul however, and contend that the governor's action is part of a concerted effort to delay or prevent implementation. The speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and two members of Congress have filed suit in federal court seeking to have the amendments declared unconstitutional.
Former legislator and legal counsel to Fair Districts Now, the bipartisan organization that sponsored the amendments, sent a letter to the Florida Secretary of State criticizing the withdrawal. "More than 3.1 million Floridians voted for these reforms in November, and your actions seem calculated to obstruct their implementation," Gelber wrote. "Further, Floridians have a right to know why their Secretary of State and their Governor are engaging in a course of conduct so clearly intended to frustrate their will as expressed at the polls."
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