Oct 1, 2008 -- San Antonio Express News: Next president can aid redistricting fix
Editorial

The clock is ticking on necessary reforms to the redistricting process before congressional lines will be drawn again.

The next census will be conducted in 2010, and the redistricting process will take place in 2011.

Making changes will not be easy, but in an encouraging development, both major party presidential candidates have voiced support for redistricting reform.

The nonpartisan, nonprofit Campaign Legal Center has gathered and distributed statements from John McCain and Barack Obama on redistricting in an effort to push for reforms.

The statements show that both understand the role gerrymandered, partisan districts play in debilitating American democracy.

Among those compiled comments, McCain told the Washington Post in August, "We need more competitive races. We need more moderation."

In 2007 responses to Midwest Democracy Network questionnaire, Obama said, "We now have a system where too often, representatives are selecting their voters instead of voters selecting their representatives."

Congress will have to draft and approve redistricting reform to make needed changes nationally, but leadership from the White House will be welcome.

Most members of the House seeking re-election don't face serious competition because voters from one party or another are packed into most districts.

The partisan stranglehold on most districts means incumbents cater to the extreme factions of their party, and the middle ground is abandoned. A reform effort that began this year must be resumed when the next Congress convenes in January.

Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Reps. John Tanner, D-Tenn., and Zack Wamp, R-Tenn., can provide the proper starting point. Their plan calls for the creation of independent commissions to draw congressional lines in each state and would prohibit mid-decade redistricting unless ordered by a court.

With candidates hitting the campaign trail during the final weeks before the election, voters should take the opportunity to tell their representatives that "safe" districts must go so a true debate on the issues can be part of the process again.

The nation's sick political system endangers democracy in the long run and dilutes the voice of average Americans.