Congressional Redistricting—Round Two

History was made May 4 in Jefferson City. Only 22 other times in the history of Missouri has the legislature overridden a governor’s veto. While rare, it is not too surprising given the huge Republican majorities in both the Missouri house and senate on one side and Democratic Governor Jay Nixon, on the other.

The issue at hand is the way Missouri is being split up into eight, instead of nine, districts. Since we lost population in the last census, we have to give up one of these position and only send eight people to the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C.

The new congressional map that passed the legislature put in place six republican districts and two democratic districts for Missouri’s eight representatives. Gov. Nixon vetoed these maps, giving the legislature the time it needed to attempt a veto override. So while Nixon did not like the six vs. two map, the Missouri Legislature disagreed. With a vote of 109-44, the six vs. two map prevailed.

The Republicans needed four Democrats to vote with them to make this override happen. Many members of the Democratic Party were saddened to see four of their own party members cross-over to the other side. It was not a happy day for Democrats.

But why should we here in Mehlville care what happens?  How does it affect us? The new congressional map takes all of Mehlville and puts it into the new second Congressional district which includes Wildwood, Cottleville, Chesterfield, Ballwin, Creve Coeur, Maryland Heights, Ladue and Town and Country, just to name a few.

There will most likely be a new congressperson elected to the newly-created district; however, I think this person will have a rough time representing such a diverse area. While Mehlville will still be in the same district as Oakville, Affton and Crestwood, South County will be a much smaller part of the new district. It will make it that much more difficult for our voices to be heard.

When our member of Congress represents us, he or she may not be as strong on labor and working family issues as our representation in the past. Education dollars have been a priority in the past, but big-business expansion in West County may now take center stage.

Of course, these are just some ways Mehlville could be impacted. It will ultimately depend on who is elected to represent the new district.

This map is also not completely final. If a lawsuit is filed, this map could go to court to see if it is truly representative of the people. Perhaps an unbiased judge would be able to determine if a six to two representation is right for Missouri, which has typically been a politically split, 50/50 state.

The math just does not add up for me.