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REGULAR MEETING APRIL 25. 2016 supports comprehensive redistricting reform including: The establishment of a citizen -led commission, the requirement that district boundaries respect: One Person, One Vote; The Voting Rights Act (VRA); Contiguity (draw districts as one connected area); Communities of interest, city and county boundaries; Political competition; Compactness, and the requirement that redistricting decisions disregard individual addresses, including incumbent addresses and those of political rivals. Because of population changes, the state does need to redistrict every ten (10) years after the census but we do not have to do it the way we do now. Currently, the Indiana General Assembly prepares and adopts redistricting plans. For Congressional districts only, a backup commission prepares and adopts plans if the state legislature fails to do so. In this system, The players are the umpires. Having elected officials draw the maps encourages gerrymandering and both Republicans and Democrats do this. Depending on how you draw a district, it can drastically affect the outcome of an election. Ms. Bennion provided examples of malapportionment in the previous elections in Wisconsin and in Pennsylvania. In states where Republicans controlled the process, their candidates won roughly 53 percent of the vote and 72 percent of the seats. In the states where Democrats controlled the process, their candidates won about 56 percent of the vote and 71 percent of the seats. In states where courts, commissions or divided governments drew the maps, there was a much smaller disparity between the share of the popular vote and the number of seats won in Congress. In those states: Democrats won slightly more than half the vote and 56 percent of the seats. Republicans won 46 percent of the vote and 44 percent of the seats. In Indiana, Republicans generally win between 53 percent and 57 percent of the votes in state legislative races, but they have drawn the maps with such surgical precision that they now find themselves with 71 percent and 80 percent of the seats in the Indiana House and Senate, respectively. This happens under both Democrats and Republicans. Gerrymandering reduces competition: In 2014, 44 of 100 House candidates and 10 of 25 Senate candidates ran unopposed. Gerrymandering also discourages voting: Indiana's 2014 voter turnout was 28 %, the lowest in the nation. Councilmember Dr. David Varner asked what the League's expectations are for the committee put together by the Legislature. Ms. Bennion responded it is a bi- partisan committee and there are both Republican and Democratic Co- Chairs. There are people who support and oppose redistricting reform on the committee in the past and the League would like them to take this issue seriously and look at these facts. The League is not pushing for a constitutional amendment to the state constitution, although that would be one option, but they are suggesting the Legislature itself create the Commission and then ratify the Commission's maps. Councilmember Dr. David Varner asked what makes the League think that the Legislature could create a true non - partisan commission that won't be biased. Ms. Bennion responded the key is that we have examples of commissions in other states that are non - partisan and have GIS specialists that have developed much fairer districts in the past than legislatures have. There are always going to be politics in these decisions but when the maps are drawn by elected officials we see such horribly drawn districts. You will never have a perfect match but, we would expect the numbers to be closer than they are now. Councilmember Jo M. Broden asked what the public can do to engage in this process. Ms. Bennion responded the public can contact members of the interim study committee. The League had brochures available for contact information on who members of this committee are. Those brochures are on file in the City Clerk's Office. Councilmember Dr. David Varner stated in South Bend we see voter turnout around fifty -five (55) percent Democrat and forty -five (45) percent Republican, yet the City Council seats are eight (8) to one (1) Democrat advantage and have been for twenty (20) some years. Councilmember Dr. Varner asked if that would be considered malapportionment. 10