Personally, I prefer NONpartisan redistricting, but all in all I guess I'd rather have bipartisan redistricting than partisan redistricting. The following press release is from Creigh Deeds' office:
Bi-Partisan Redistricting Bill Passes Senate SubcommitteeSenate Bill 38 is Latest Effort to End Partisan Process for Drawing Legislative Districts
RICHMOND-Senator R. Creigh Deeds, chairman of the Senate Privileges and Elections Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments, Reapportionment and Referenda, today merged the work of Senators from both political parties to create a bi-partisan redistricting process. Senate Bill 38 is expected to be heard by the full committee next week.
"Today's important work in subcommittee was the first step this year towards passing a bi-partisan redistricting process that will end the divisive and bitter politics that have infected state government," said Deeds. "With the next round of redistricting nearly upon us, now is the time to make this important change so that voters are picking their elected representatives-not the other way around."
This is the sixth year that Senator Deeds has carried a proposal to reform the partisan process where legislative districts are drawn to protect incumbents and maximize the strength of the ruling party. SB 38 would create a commission with an equal number of members appointed by leaders in both political parties. A seventh independent member would be chosen by a majority vote of the six appointees. The commission would be bound by criteria for drawing legislative districts that excludes the use of previous voting results, demographic data, or the addresses of incumbents.In today's subcommittee hearing, Deeds sought to pass out one bill to create a bi-partisan redistricting process by combining the work of both Democratic and Republican members. Senate Bills 105 (Cuccinelli), 243 (Howell) and 625 (Stolle) were incorporated into SB 38.
For the last six years, Deeds has proposed the creation of a redistricting commission-chaired by a non-partisan member-that would remove partisanship and incumbent protection from the drawing of legislative and congressional districts. Last year's proposal, Senate Joint Resolution 352, made history when for the first time a bi-partisan redistricting proposal passed a chamber of the General Assembly. SJR 352 passed the Senate with the support of seven Republicans but was defeated on an unrecorded vote in a House of Delegates subcommittee. [See: SJR 352, 2007]
What really amazes me is that Republicans are convinced enough that they can hold on to the House, retake the Governor's office, and, in a great feat of electoral cunning, switch control of the Senate without holding a General Election.
I really respect Deeds for following through on this while he has the upper hand, even though I actually disagree with him on the issue. If Democrats practice good government like this when they gain power in a state, but Republicans don't (and they don't), it strikes me as a form of unilateral disarmament.
Does anyone know, BTW, if this bill succeeds, whether the GOP could simply legislate it away in 10 or 12 years should they regain power and revert redistricting to a purely partisan exercise when it suits them? I apologize if that's a dumb question.
I haven't looked at the issue across 50 states, so maybe the Republicans are not as bad as they seem based on high profile situations like Texas.
Getting around this would arguably require a Constitutional Amendment.