Redistricting

 

Recent Coverage of Rhode Island Redistricting

Providence Journal: Rhode Island Census Data Released

Providence Journal: Deciding on a Bid

Go Local Prov: Speaker Fox Defends the Money Allocated for Redistricting

Boston Globe: RI Redistricting Moves Forward

Providence Journal Blog: Senate Judiciary Moves Redistricting Along

Providence Journal: Will the New Districts Respect the New Demographics?

 

Background

Every decade, the U.S. Census releases data illustrating the changes in America's population. One of the most important uses of this data is in the redrawing of political districts, known as redistricting. At the beginning of each decade, following the release ofthis data, each state must redraw the districts for state and federal reresentaton, as to accomodate the changes in their constituencies.

In March 2011, the Joint Committee on Legislative Services, staffed by Speaker of the House Gordon Fox, Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere, and (former) House Minority Robert Watson accepted the lone bid from Election Data Management Services to begin the process of redistricting. In April, the General Assembly set aside $1.5 milliion for redistricting to encompass all anticipated expenses, including the possibility of legal action. Rhode Islans is the only state to outsource this stage of redistricting, as most states allow the federal government to provide the data necessary for redistricting.

What's Next in RI Redistricting?

By May 16, 2011, Election Data Management Services will have set up the redistricting software. Over the course of the summer, the Special Commission on Reappointment, the General Assembly's redistricting body, wll hold a series of public hearings. These hearings will be one of the only times public opinion will be measured. After these hearings conclude, redistricting will be managed almost exclusively by legislators. At the beginning of the 2012 legislative session, the final map will be proposed, debated, amended, and passed.

We at Common Cause RI will be monitoring this entire process. The dates of all public hearings wil be publicized via Facebook, Twitter, and E-Blasts. In addition, Commn Cause RI will be holding a redistricting contest, in which redistricting software will be made freely available, enabling any willing participant to redraw the districts of Rhode Island. The winners of this contest will recieve a prize, as well as have their map widely publicized, and submitted to the General Assembly.

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What Can Rhode Island Do Better?

Gerrymandering occurs when legislators selectively choose which populations they want to represent in order to secure reelection, or to assure an opponent's ousting. However, what enables such corruption is an uniformed and unincluded public. It is the mission of Commoon Cause Rhode Island to ensure that this year's redistricting efforts occur in plain and public view, and to allow citizens to contribute their input to this process.

In Rhode Island, the legislation creating the redistricting commission should be amended to include stricter guidelines regarding how redistricting is conducted. Currently, all appointees are nominated by the General Assembly leadership, violating the concept of separation of powers. In addition, stricter standards shoud be imposed on the criteria that are considered when the districts are redrawn, specifically those keeping towns and communities within the same districts.

Some states have begun to delegate the task of redistricting to independent commissions, comprised of impartial citizens rather than legislators. Some states have even begun to rely almost exclusively on a computer program to redivide the population into political districts. While these solutionos may not be perfect for Rhode Island, these states are at least attempting to create a better system. To this end, public participation in redistricting is vital to creating a more fair and unbiased system.

 

A Brief History of Gerrymandering

Almost 200 years ago, Massachusetts Governor Eldridge Gerry manipulated the political aspect of redistricting while seeking reelection. In order to circumvent and nullify unfriendly communities, Gerry and his political cronies created misshapen districts, on of which was so strangely shaped that it was said to resemble a salamander. The pupularly dubbed "Gerry-mander" became representative of all attempts to corrupt the process of redistricting in order to serve the needs of individual politicians.

As redistricting computer software has improved, it is hoped that digitalizing the process would held prevent gerrymandering. Some states have embraced an impartial and independent redistricting process utilizing this new technology. However, tools to improve fairness are useless if they are used by people who do not understand why they should be used. In Rhode Island, new technology will make very little difference if everything else remains the same.

Altering political districts has an enormous impact on the political system. A change of district lines can shift the political affiliation of a district, securing or removing a legislator. This makes it an extremely personal and important issue for every legislator who wishes to remain in office, the very people who are redrawing the maps. Even in instances where gerrymandering is not apparent, the problem remains that in redistricting, politicians are choosing who they want to represent, rather than allowing the people to choose who represents them.

 

Common Cause Rhode Island promotes:

• Standards legislation for the current redistricting bills.
• Public education and encorporation in the redistricting process.
• Passage of legislation to create an independent commission to handle redistricting.

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