04-25-16 Community Relations - Laserfiche WebLink

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In Indiana currently, the General Assembly prepares and adopts redistricting plans. The problem with this method is that the players are the umpires. Having elected officials draw the maps encourages gerrymandering. Partisan gerrymandering is the practice of drawing districts to benefit a particular party or candidate. Both Democrats and Republicans engage in gerrymandering; the party in power draws the maps. Ms. Pawelski explained depending on how the districts are drawn you can get very different results from the same votes. These gerrymandered districts lead to malapportionment, which is bad or inequitable apportionment in a political'assembly. Ms. Pawelski gave examples of both instances in 2012 where Democrats would cast more votes than Republicans in a state and end up losing more elections and also examples where Republicans cast more votes in a state but ended up losing more elections. Legislatures create malapportionment, 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. Commissions reduce this problem. 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 and 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. The negative consequences of gerrymandering are vast. In 2014, 44 of 100 House candidates and 10 of 25 Senate candidates ran unopposed. It discourages voting, Indiana's 2014 voter turnout was 28 %, the lowest in the nation. Gerrymandering can also splinter and harm communities of interest such as cities and towns, school districts, neighborhoods, and minorities. It is time for voters to pick their politicians and not politicians pick their voters. Councilmember Jo M. Broden asked about the makeup of this proposed commission. Ms. Pawelski responded the commission would be led by citizens. Some states have politicians involved and some have strictly citizens only. Councilmember Oliver Davis asked how the citizens would be chosen and if they would have to be bi- partisan because just because they are not a politician does not mean they are not biased. Ms. Pawelski sated the resolution does not flesh that out but clearly they would be politically active and informed people but it would be bi- partisan so it would be fair and equal in numbers. Ms. Pawelski provided the PowerPoint she used for her presentation and it is on file in the City Clerk's Office. 2