Experts agree: Arnold's redistricting plan is seriously flawed


A panel of experts convened by the Assembly District Representation Committee strongly criticized Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal for changing redistricting rules in California.

(For those of you just joining the debate on redistricting, see our previous coverage here, here and here.)

The group, comprising election experts and academics brought together by the ADRC, included professors from universities in several states, the LA registrar of voters, representatives of several minority advocacy organizations, and others.

A major question raised by the panel is one that we've discussed here before: specifically, what is the definition of competitiveness in elections? Furthermore, can redistricting of the kind the Governor proposes achieve it?

Experts cast doubt on Schwarzenegger plan to redraw districts for 2006
(AP) A panel of experts cast doubt Thursday on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to redraw legislative and congressional districts for the 2006 elections, questioning if there would be time to do it, if it would be constitutional -- even if it would produce the competitive seats he says he seeks.

"It's very hard to define what a competitive district is and if it would be competitive throughout a decade," said Morgan Kousser, professor of history and social science at the California Institute of Technology.


The panel also raised serious concerns about the practical workability of the Governor's plan:

Election officials question governor's redistricting plan
(Whittier Daily News) Election experts criticized Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's mid-decade redistricting proposal on Thursday, saying it would be nearly impossible to implement on time and could face serious legal hurdles.

Los Angeles County Registrar- Recorder Conny McCormack was among those who said the proposal was flawed. She complained that the governor's tentative plan to call a special election in November and have redistricting take effect for the June 2006 state primary would leave little time for candidates to know what districts they are in.

The special election results would be certified by Dec. 17 and the candidate filing period begins Dec. 30.

"This is not the way you really want to run an election,' McCormack said during the hearing by the Assembly's District Representation Committee.


There seems to be a growing consensus in favor of some kind of reform in the direction of nonpartisan redistricting, i.e., taking the power to draw district lines out of the hands of those whose jobs depend on those districts — but increasingly it appears that the specific plan advocated by Schwarzenegger (to change redistricting rules in time for 2006) is a non-starter. I hope to see more coverage like this in slightly more widely read forums in the days to come.

Posted: Fri - April 15, 2005 at 11:17 AM   | Category:     |   |   | |


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