Associated Press: Redistricting initiatives face tight deadline to make ballot

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Fighting through coronavirus hurdles, activists in several states are racing to gather thousands of petition signatures in the coming days for proposed ballot initiatives seeking to overhaul the way legislative voting districts are drawn for the next decade.

Redistricting reform advocates face a July 2 deadline in Oregon to turn in enough signatures to qualify their proposal for the November election. Initiative supporters face a July 6 deadline in Arkansas and North Dakota, and an Aug. 3 cutoff in Nevada.

All states must redraw their voting districts for the U.S. House and state legislative chambers based on the results of this year’s census. In many states, that task will be done in 2021 by state lawmakers and governors.

“This is really a make or break moment for Oregonians to enact a fair and transparent process in time for the 2021 redistricting,” Kate Titus, executive director of Common Cause Oregon, said during a Tuesday news conference featuring redistricting reform advocates from numerous states.

At least 17 states already have adopted measures that either shift the redistricting process to special commissions or establish other procedures intended to diminish the potential for partisan gerrymandering.

This year’s initiative efforts were altered by coronavirus precauations. Mass events, which are fertile ground for petition circulators, were canceled, and in-person petition gathering was suspended.

To abide by social distancing, Oregon activists mailed petition signature forms to about a half-million households that each had at least two registered voters, Titus said. They have been getting back thousands of signed petitions daily.

But “at this point,” she said, “it’s really too hard to tell” whether organizers will meet the deadline for the 149,360 valid signatures needed for the proposed constitutional amendment.