From an Orange County Editorial
Here are the basics from the governor’s statement: “The proposal creates a Citizens Redistricting Commission to develop an open and fair process for redrawing our political district lines. The commission would be composed of 11 independent and politically balanced members who reflect our state’s diversity and who are free from conflicts of interest.
“Four members would be from each of the state’s two largest political parties. The remaining three seats would be held for decline-to-state voters or voters with other political affiliations. … A panel of 10 county clerks would establish a pool of eligible candidates. Legislative leaders would be able to remove two candidates from the pool. Finally, the Fair Political Practices Commission would conduct a random draw from the pool to determine the commission membership.” The plan could be appealed to the Supreme Court.
The proposal might need some fine-tuning, but it is a good starting point for a necessary reform. The basic principle is sound: Legislative districts should not be gerrymandered to assure that both parties avoid a competition of ideas before each election.
I agree and support a redistricting process that maximizes competition rather than the other way around. To me it is healthy to have vibrant local discussions about the direction of the country and each party and for moderates to have a reasonable chance against ideologues. It would be nice if the new Congress addresses this as well. This may be one of the core process adjustments that in the long term allows the Congress to move back into balance and cooperation.
Born 1950, Married, Living in Austin Texas, Semi
Retired Small Business owner and investor. My political interest
evolved out of his business experience that the best decisions come out of an objective gathering of information and a pragmatic consideration of costs and benefits. I am interested in promoting Centrist candidates and Policies. My posts are mostly about people and policies that I believe are part of the solution rather the problem.