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Monday, March 21, 2011
Ind. Gov't - "Proceed with caution on maps"
That is the heading to today's lead editorial in the Indianapolis Star. It concludes:
Our quarrel would be with any process that delayed map-drawing till after all public input. The reverse should be the case; drafts should be available for citizen review well before votes are taken.Also today:Gerrymandering, it must be pointed out, does not put only the majority party's interests above the public's. Most incumbents on the other side are given insulation as well, meaning few contested elections and minimal pressure on legislators to heed voters rather than lobbyists and campaign donors.
Derailing the gravy train is a tall order, one that some states have answered by creating nonpartisan redistricting commissions. The General Assembly should do likewise, for the next 10-year cycle. In the meantime, it must call a truce on the most divisive front of its partisan war. It is obvious the cool-down won't happen unless the people keep the heat on.
- Gregory Korte reports in USA TODAY in a lengthy story headed "Software opens up redistricting"
Across the USA, college students, citizen activists and political junkies are using similar software to break a mapmaking monopoly held for decades by state lawmakers.
"The technology has evolved so much that it's become almost entirely democratized," says Bob Holsworth, chairman of Virginia's bipartisan redistricting commission. "This will be a fact of political life from now on."
- "There Comes a Time When People Just Have to Set Boundaries ," is the headline to a WSJ story by Danny Yadron. A sample:
States this year are redoing the boundaries, a process kicked off by the 2010 Census, and will release new maps in coming months. Alongside them will be a cadre of map geeks and political junkies who have taken up redistricting as an obsession, a competition and a form of art.
"Dave's Redistricting App," has generated a zealous following on Internet message boards and politics blogs. Self-declared cartographers spend hours drafting and arguing over new legislative boundaries. Steve Dunn, 60, of Orange County, Calif., says on a few days he's mapped for 10 hours straight.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 21, 2011 12:33 PM
Posted to Indiana Government