Liveblogging The Special Session (2006 5th) V
The Senate has reconvened. The House is likely to approve map L easily but there may or may not be fireworks in the Senate. Senator Bramble is sumarizing the committee results.
Senator Arent (D-Cottonwood) has a history with bad redistricting plans. She is in the Senate because she was drawn out of her house district in 2001. Arent is retiring this year and I like seeing her go out with a comment on redistricting. “Voters should pick legislators; legislators should not pick voters.” We will miss Patrice Arent.
Senator Bell (R-Farmington) points out that this redrawing is done to enable unconstitutional activity in Washington.
Senator McCoy (D-SLC my senator!) talks about the need for a nonpartisan process. McCoy stresses the difference between a bipartisan process where parties protect their mutual interests and a nonpartisan process.
S5001 passes 23-4.
A Brian’s Utah Weblog thank you to Senators Bell and McCoy.
In the House Julie Fisher (R-Fruit Heights) wants to block Congress from “end run[ning] the Constitutional requirement of statehood.” “Since when,” she asks has the state no interest in the Constitution. She wants to attach an amendment requiring retrocession to Maryland or a constitutional amendment or statehood before D.C. can send a congressman.
I think Fisher is Greg Bell’s representative. Maybe they should bottle the water in Fruit Heights and send it up here when the Republicans are writing up their contempt-of-the-Constitution message bills next year.
There’s some trouble with numbers. Fisher thinks Utah has three million people (the truth is about 2.5 million, or 2.2 million in the 200 census). Another rep suggests that the population of D.C. is over one million (the truth is about 550,000). Why don’t all of Utah’s legislators at least know the actual population of Utah? Shouldn’t these folks bother to look things up before announcing them on the floor? Looks like they’ve all got laptops on their desks.
The Fisher amendment vote is close, but she doesn’t ask for a roll call. Speaker Curtis pauses for a while; seems like he’s surprised that she doesn’t want a roll call. So am I.
The bill passes 51-19. The governor is expected to sign it.
December 4th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
What Brian isn’t mentioning is how “political” the process was becoming when the Guv and all of the politicos promised that wouldn’t happen. Republican representatives visited the House Democratic caucus to explain amendments that were obviously designed either to protect incumbents or to assist others in their future political races. Some Represesntatives or Senators wanted to be moved into other Congressional districsts because the ‘coat tails’ of the Congressman there could either help or hurt them.
All of the members on the Redistricting Committee agreed that this was the “easy process” because it was only four Congressional districts. All also seemed to agree they did not want to serve again on the committee when they have to discuss the legislative and senatorial districts given how civil this process was… NOT!
It’s very obvious apparent that current the process needs to be changed, removed from politicians’ hands who have personal interests in choosing their voters, and instead, put into the hands of an Independent Redistricting Committee. This bill has been proposed the past few years by Rep. Roz McGee who tells us that folks at the Hinckley Institute of Politics believe this is the most or 2nd most important issue in Utah politics. The Institute also believes the process should be done by an Independent Redistricting Commission.
The only ones who don’t seem to want this are those already elected Republicans who don’t want a fair process subject to the public. All this expense for a sham process that promises to go nowhere!!! Disgusting, actually!
December 4th, 2006 at 8:36 pm
Democrats aren’t much better than Republicans when it comes to supporting fair electoral processes. Just ask local Greens.
Or Libertarians, both of whom support more competitive and representative elections through reforms such as Instant Runoff Voting and Choice Voting/proportional representation (which were enacted into law by voters everywhere they were on the ballot in the U.S. this year).
For more information, visit FairVote: The Center for Voting and Democracy at http://www.fairvote.org
By the way, speaking of sham processes, independent redistricting commissions are such a process because they haven’t delivered the increased competitiveness promised.
December 5th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
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