'Fair Districts': Would redistricting really give Democrats boost they are looking for?

[Freddie Stubbs]

As Republicans nationwide ride a Tea Party wave into the fall elections, Florida's political maps drawn by the ruling GOP are showing their age. Basically, they are becoming more competitive for Democrats.

An Orlando Sentinel/Sun Sentinel analysis of the statewide voter-registration shift in districts during the past decade shows significantly more Democratic voters in dozens of legislative and congressional districts that were drawn in 2002 to safely elect or protect Republicans in South Florida and the Orlando region.

But new research that focuses on where voters live — rather than just on how they vote — raises questions about a central argument behind one of the biggest proposed constitutional reforms on the Nov. 2 ballot: that new mandates to redraw the political maps more compactly and without political bias will produce "fairer" elections.

Despite their erosion in voter registration, Republicans hold 15 of the state's 25 U.S. House seats, and 102 of 160 seats in the Legislature. That prompted unions, personal-injury lawyers and other Democrat-leaning groups to spend more than $4.2 million during the past three years to place Amendments 5 and 6 before voters this fall.

more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-redistricting-future-analysis-20100926,0,7268905,full.story

[iamjoy]

1. That's Not What It's About

and it's such a slanted article to suggest that Amendments 5 & 6 are about helping Democrats - something sure to help those amendments fail.

It's about helping make elections more fair. It's also about helping elected officials better serve their constituents. Is the Congress person from District 24 representing east Orlando as much as the Space Coast? How well does a Congress person from Jacksonville represent west Orlando? Is Ocala served well by a representative based out of Orlando? Or St. Augustine well represented by a Congress person based in Winter Park?

of course, if you believe that a level playing field helps Democrats and Republicans can only win by rigging the game...

[Ineeda]

2. voting yes on 5&6 is to prevent guard against further gerrymandering