Creating A Fair Redistricting Process In Colorado
Politicians creating their own legislative and congressional districts? We at Colorado Common Cause believe that is a bad idea that leads to noncompetitive elections and gerrymandered districts. We have worked for the last several years here in Colorado and across the country to change the way we draw political maps and we are making good progress. We are in negotiations with the majority and minority leaders in the State Senate to bring a redistricting proposal forward this legislative session.
The principles guiding our work on redistricting include:
-
Having an independent commission, including Unaffiliated and minor political party members, draw the maps;
-
Establishing clear criteria to guide the commission, including respect for the Voting Rights Act and communities of interest;
-
Developing maps with a goal of making districts competitive to the extent practical; and
-
Having the commission draw the maps “incumbent blind” so they do not tailor districts for sitting legislators or members of Congress.
In addition to the work we are doing here in Colorado, Jon Goldin-Dubois, former CCC Executive Director, is heading up the redistricting reform work we are doing nationally. We are actively supporting or leading efforts in California (in conjunction with Gov. Schwartzenegger), Ohio, Florida, and Massachusetts. Jon was also quoted in a front page New York Times story recently that highlighted the desperate need for reform.