Tuesday, February 19, 2008

ABA passes resolution supporting redistricting reform

The recognition of the need for a more fair redistricting process has created a groundswell among organizations across the political spectrum and has led to the creation of Americans for Redistricting Reform - an initiative of the Campaign Legal Center scheduled to launch later this year.

The ABA (American Bar Association) passed a resolution at its midyear meeting urging states to utilize independent commissions for redistricting in order to remove the process from politically self-interested state legislators and incumbents.

In his role as a member of the ABA’s Administrative Law Section, Campaign Legal Center's J. Gerald Hebert helped draft the resolution that was approved.
Hebert stressed in his statement that redistricting decisions are too often made for purely partisan purposes and ultimately it is the voters of both parties who suffer. “Democrats and Republicans alike have gained and lost seats unfairly through the heavy-handed tactics of state legislatures that gerrymander districts such that the electoral outcome is foreordained,” Hebert emphasized. The result has been the elimination of competitive districts and with it the elimination of more moderate representatives who are more likely to be attentive to a broader community.


No comments:

Post a Comment