Redistricting: ABA ResolutionABA Urges Redistricting Overhaul: Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Campaign Legal Center Executive Director We are greatly encouraged that the American Bar Association (ABA) has joined the growing list of organizations backing the overhaul of the redistricting process. The urgent need to fix our hopelessly corrupted redistricting process continues to gather momentum. The resolution passed at the ABA's midyear meeting urges states to utilize independent commissions for redistricting and to remove the process from politically self-interested state legislators and incumbents.
When redistricting decisions are made for partisan reasons to protect one party's incumbents or to bludgeon one's opponents, it is the voters who suffer and our democratic process is diminished. The ABA's endorsement is another example of the fact that redistricting should not be a partisan weapon that one party uses against the other to solidify its political power. 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. The result is 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.
What we have seen in recent years are more extreme efforts by both political parties to manipulate the system to gain electoral advantage. Redistricting reform is needed to stop this abuse of our democracy.
Gerrymandered districts will remain a blight on our democratic process until we reform the redistricting process. There are growing reasons to place redistricting power in the hands of an independent authority that is structured to prevent partisan abuse. The need and desire for a more fair redistricting process has created a groundswell among organizations across the political spectrum and led to the creation of Americans for Redistricting Reform - an initiative slated to launch later this year to build public support and serve as a resource
Legal Center Proposes Redistricting Reform Resolution to the American Bar Association
The Campaign Legal Center has been leading a broad coalition of groups interested in bringing about redistricting reform. In addition, the Legal Center has been working over the summer with the American Bar Association to adopt a resolution supporting redistricting reform. This resolution, to be sponsored by the Administrative Law Section of the ABA and co-sponsored by the State and Local Government Section, will be presented to the ADA delegates at their mid-year meeting in February 2008. To read a copy of the resolution, click here. To read a copy of the report supporting the resolution, click here.
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