Supreme Court Orders Amended Proclamation Plan With SE Changes as Interim Plan

Attorneys Walleri (l,plaintiffs) and White (r, Board)

The Alaska Supreme Court wasted no time at all in ruling after yesterday's hearing on why they should not use the Amended Proclamation Plan as the Interim Redistricting plan until the Board can use the "Hickel Process" to develop a final plan.  

The Board will have to adjust the four house and two senate districts in Southeast Alaska to make them more compact before the Interim Plan is finalized. 

The Superior Court judge had found that they were 'compact enough' originally, but not after the Supreme Court's decision that the Board should have first configured the plan only with the Alaska Constitution in mind. 

The Southeast districts were drawn with the Voting Rights Act in mind and reflect Board's belief at that time, that they needed a 'Native Influence' district in Southeast.  That caused them to reshape the districts differently than had they only considered the Alaska Constitution.  Later, because of changing Department of Justice interpretations and definitions, 'Influence' districts are no longer relevant.


Below is the Court's short order. Order May10

The Amended Proclamation Plan is the second plan that the Redistricting Board came up with after the first plan was remanded to them to follow the "Hickel Process." They essentially kept most of the original plan submitted last year, and changed the districts around Fairbanks and the Interior that goes around Fairbanks, to create the Amended Proclamation Plan.

 The Board website has maps here of the Amended Proclamation Plan. It includes statewide map, regional maps, and individual district maps. The four house and two senate districts in Southeast Alaska are subject to change. The others should remain the same.


The board scheduled a meeting Monday May 14, 2012 at 10:15am at their office at 411 W. 4th Avenue, Suite 302. Additional meetings have been tentatively scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at the same time.