Redistricting Live Blogging continued

This is really rough and spellings uncertain.


Laura Rheingold - District 32 - from Hope to ER, We're hoping that the ER part of 32 will reunify ER. I'm on Parks and REc board. We have our own service area. We have our own seperate ER issues. Reps for each Community Councils, REC: Put part of 32 in ER back into ??

Natalie Landreth - Paper copies for all of you. Sr. Staff attorney Native American Rights Fund.
Fishing Rights, Tribal SElf Determination, and Voting Rights. Nick case established that Election materials be translated into Yupik in certain parts of the state. One of few 203 fully litigated in US and only one where courts required Native language for voting area. About 76% speak Yupik first. Illiteracy rate is 15X national average because there were no schools in the villages.
REquired in Bethel meeting that you have live interpretation in Yupik when you are there. Otherwise, many communities and thousands of voters will be left out of process.

2. I understand there were draft redistricting guidelines. Two incorrect statements that were summarized and misleading.
2C of Fed. redistricting materials. Quote 1: Unavoidable retrogression should be No retrogression at all. We will be watching carefully. DOJ will contact us. I want you to know this in the spirit of complete transparency.

The other misleading statement: Minority group must be large cohesive and vote in a bloc. This suggests that minority group must demonstrate this. SEc. 5 only measures changes of the status quote. Sec. 2 about diluting minority vote. It looks like these two sections conflated.

Sufficiently large and compact enough to represent a majority. Large is subjective
Cohesive.
Vote as a bloc. - Bloc is the majority - I'm not getting enough of this to catch it well.

I understand the guidelines a summary and that you will engage legal counsel that will steer you correctly


Vicki Otte - chair of my village corporation. (missed other organizations she's involved with) I commend you for the public service you are taking on and wish you well. Want to clarify comment on redistricting board. One was Republican, ONe Democrat, two undeclared, and ??? That group gave us a fair and balance legislature we have today. It has been good for us today. We have a balanced Senate. When you draw new legislative districts keep that in mind and preserving incumbents as much as you can. How lines drawn means wther Alaskans will have fair representation. INsure rural Alaska continues to have a voice and is represented fairly. I know that is difficult and wish you well.

It's 1:45pm and no one else is here to testify at the moment. REcess. Until next wave comes in.