Morning Read: Redistricting woes in the North Country
The Watertown Daily Times digs into the latest report from Citizens United that highlights the widespread practice of gerrymandering.
According to the group, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are deliberately gaming the system in order to avoid serious election fights.
Senate districts 47 and 48, represented by Republicans Joseph A. Griffo and Patricia A. Ritchie, respectively, are two of the least-populated districts in the state, drawn that way by the lawmakers themselves to allow the state Senate GOP to magnify its clout by having more districts in politically friendly areas.
Assembly districts 118 and 122, represented respectively by Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, and Kenneth D. Blankenbush, R-Black River, are significantly overpopulated, an effort by Assembly Democrats to stuff more Republicans into fewer Assembly districts, the report says.
“This is not a coincidence or something that occurred by chance,” said Alex Camarda of Citizens Union, which released on Monday a lengthy report on the state’s process of redrawing its political boundaries.
Redistricting and gerrymandering are one of the big challenges to American democracy, a far bigger issue than voter fraud — and arguably as big a deal as big money influence — which have received more media play of late.
What do you think? Will this report stir up some conversation about gerrymandering?
Tags: election12, politics, redistricting
Nothing most of us don’t already know so, unfortunately, it’s doubtful this report will change anything. Even former NYC mayor Ed Koch’s efforts, which garnered a good deal of press coverage, did very little to change the discussion on gerrymandering. The Governor really needs to increase his pressure on this issue and really push for the independent redistricting process he and others have proposed.
They should get some non-politicians to draw the lines so that they actually have to represent a real majority.
We need an independent commission to determine political districts. Get the politics out of it.
Could an independent commission be found? In this Country?
We’d be better off giving a bunch of grade schoolers from Japan a map and a bunch of crayons, at least it then might be approached in a manner other than selfserving.
This one is literally as old as the republic. See: Elbridge Gerry. That doesn’t reduce my admiration for anyone who tries to stop it. Not real sure they’ll succeed, though.