Redistricting Process Comes Under Fire

Left of center, right of center and right down the middle. It didn’t matter what political spectrum citizens were speaking from Tuesday night, all gave state legislators an earful about the redistricting process. A vast majority of citizens spoke against current the current redistricting plan.

There were three main concerns for the citizens who spoke up: redistricting schedule; legislature lawsuits challenging the Fair District Amendments (5 and 6); and not having redistricting maps already drawn.

Every 10 years the legislature is required by law to redistrict based on movement in population, which is figured during the census. Since 2000, Florida’s population has grown to the point that it will be adding two U.S. Congressional seats for a total of 27. Shifts in population also require changes to state senate and representative seats.

Many municipal and county elected officials spoke to legislators Tuesday night at Sudakoff Center. Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent was the first to criticize the legislature’s timing for redrawing voting district maps.

“We are going into 2012 and this is Florida,” Dent said. “If we don’t have enough time to get our ballots drawn, polling places located to notify the voters to get our precincts approved, we will be more likely to make a mistake.”

Ann Hardy with the Sarasota County League of Women Voters said the current timeline, followed by a mandatory review period, puts a strain on the filling period for candidates (especially for districts that might not currently exist) and getting absentee ballots out in time.

The current schedule that legislators are taking has the maps drawn up in January with approval coming sometime before March. Chair of the redistricting committee Rep. Will Weatherford said by law, the state cannot move any faster. The legislature, he said, has already pushed up next year’s legislative session from March to January.

“The constitution of the state of Florida is very clear,” Weatherford said. “We cannot vote on legislative maps until 2012. We will spend the fall months analyzing [citizen input and proposed maps], then we get into session and then we will vote on maps. We are not slowing down anything.”

After maps are approved by the state, the state constitution requires the maps to then come under the review of the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice. Only after approval from all three bodies can the maps become official.

Amendments 5 and 6, the Fair District Amendments, were passed last year by 63 percent of the voting public. Those amendments were designed to eliminate gerrymandering while also make districts more compact without communities of interest.  

Amendment 6 is currently being challenged in the courts by the state Legislature. Citizens were most vocal against this action, because they said the legislature is spending taxpayer dollars to fight amendments passed by taxpayers by almost two-thirds.

Weatherford said contrary to reports and the general sentiment of the evening, the Legislature has not spent millions, nor has millions of dollars waiting in a fund to fight redistricting amendments. 

Many citizens who spoke Tuesday questioned the need for the three-hour meeting at all. State legislators said the process helps get an idea of what the public wants so they can draw up the maps. The public, however, said without anything to comment on, the meeting was political.

“Florida’s map will be approved later than almost every state in the nation,” said resident Monia Joblin. “Just two months before the election, one could only think this is designed as an incumbent protection plan.”

Weatherford, who responded to citizen’s questions at the end of the meeting, said “This is chicken vs. the egg debate,” he said. “In politics, the biggest criticism I get is they ask us why we voted on certain things without listening to the citizens first?”

By having no maps first and getting public input, he said, “We are changing the political landscape for the next 10 years; wouldn’t it be prudent to listen to the people before we brought maps to you?

“New maps should not be drawn until after they have received public comment,” Weatherford said. “If you look at the maps outside this room, the ones that have been submitted [by the public], we are saying that the legislative process is starting with those maps.”

After the meeting was almost complete, state Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Sarasota, said she was ashamed of some of the commentors. “I’m disappointed in our community,” she said. “This is an opportunity to showcase the community, also an opportunity to participate in your government. This is the most open, transparent situation you’ll ever see. I’m a little disappointed in the lack of civility.”

For more information on Florida's redistricting plan and to get updates on schedules and redistricting committee meetings, you can visit floridaredistricting.org.

On the website, as members of the public did on Tuesday, you can submit your own Florida redistricting map as well as give input on the process itself.