The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
A last-ditch attempt to de-politicize the legislative redistricting process was shot down in a House of Delegates subcommittee Tuesday.
State Sen. Creigh Deeds' bill, SB173, would have created a bipartisan advisory commission to prepare redistricting plans for General Assembly and congressional districts after the 2010 census and every 10 years afterward.
The measure had bipartisan support in the Democrat-controlled Senate, where it was approved 40-0. But a subcommittee of the Republican-controlled House killed it, leaving little chance of any change in the process before district lines must be redrawn next year.
Critics have complained for years that the system results in many uncompetitive districts and makes it too easy for incumbents to protect their re-election prospects.
Deeds, a Bath County Democrat who lost to Republican Bob McDonnell in the 2009 governor's race, is a longtime proponent of a less- partisan redistricting process.
"I like to win by big numbers. I hate to lose by big numbers. And I've done both," he said. "But it's not about us. I think there's a better way to do business, Democrats and Republicans."
The panel was unmoved, preferring to keep the process fully in the hands of the legislature.
"I appreciate the determination of Sen. Deeds," said Del. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk. "But the Constitution is clear. The responsibility falls to us."
Deeds said afterward that the panel's action portends a contentious process next year, with the House and Senate in the hands of opposite parties.
"I would hope we could work cooperatively. That's what the people want," he said. "But it's pretty clear now it's going to be ugly."
He characterized his proposal as a relatively mild shift that would have left the ultimate decision-making in the hands of the legislature.
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Why should they?
Why should Grumpy Old Pols want to change the way they do business? The way it is, they can not only run the state the way they want to, but shoot down anyone who tries to make the system even remotely fairer. The idea that a single handpicked subcommittee can effectively block anything that doesn't suit them personally is highly offensive to me, and should be to anyone who believes in actual population representation. There should be a constitutional amendment requiring that all such actions be justified in a court.
hmm
just what we needed, another unaccountable commission
SPSA, MPO, HRT yes indeed unaccountable quasi-governmental boards and commissions work so well - after all the public can vote these boards out, right? Not
wake up folks, this was just a dodge to stir up controversy and give crony seats on this commission to friends and special interest groups
Virginia's grand old party
“But these guys want to run without competition in their districts with 12 percent turnout,” he said. “That’s the bottom line.”
How true. Re-election matters most.
First no excuse absentee voting is killed by the republicans, now this.
That's where the blame is for me on these two issues.
Freaking political parties are ruining this country and state for nothing but political advantage.
You only have your vote. Now even that's being manipulated by the state GOP.
See it for what it isn't.
Whatever
"Critics have complained for years that the current system results in many uncompetitive districts and makes it too easy for incumbents to protect their own re-election prospects."
The Federal courts haven't helped much with this, either, with the minority-majority requirements.