[UPDATE Nov 5, 2021 11:30 pm - the new interactive state map is here.] [Update: James Brooks has put all the current legislators onto the map so you can see how many districts have one incumbent, two incumbents, or no incumbents.]
Quick synopsis of the afternoon session:
- The Board voted 4 to 1 to approve the state wide map after approving each region separately
- Despite LOTS of Goldstream residents calling in to say they are closely aligned with the University and downtown Fairbanks, they are left in the huge district that wraps around Fairbanks and includes Tok
- Anchorage v4new map - the one worked on by Nicole Borromeo - was approved 3-2, with Bethany Marcum and John Binkley voting no. Budd Simpson's yes vote was something of a surprise.
- There was an emotional interaction over the Anchorage maps when Nicole Borromeo asked Bethany Marcum to point out problems she (Marcum) had with the v4 map that Borromeo had created. This was an interesting exchange that revealed some personal value differences between the two and Marcum said she didn't feel it was right to criticize a fellow Board member in public and Borromeo said she wasn't asking for personal criticism, just criticism of the map.
- There was some trading of communities between - I think - Districts 37 and 38 - to get some Calista communities in with other Calista communities.
- Apparently in the Executive Session to talk about VRA implications of the Anchorage maps, pairing East Anchorage with Eagle River and with the hillside, the Board must have been told that the diversity of East Anchorage could raise VRA problems if they were split, because the last v3 maps did not have them paired any more.
Upcoming:
- Chair Binkley asked the staff to have an interactive map up on the website by noon tomorrow (Saturday)
- Monday morning the Board meeting will meet in Board headquarters and begin at 9am with testimony about Senate pairings. Binkley specifically said they don't want to hear about people's opinions about the map, just Senate pairings. The numbers on the House districts are NOT necessarily final numbers, just so it's easier to identify them
- Senate pairings districts have to be contiguous, but the numbers don't have to be.
- You can watch via Zoom, but need to call in to testify.
- They will start with testimony. They don't want to make people wait they way the did today.
- After pairing, the board has to truncate Senate districts that have too high a percentage of voters who are in new districts. The guidance is 'substantial' but Board has to determine what that means. Substantially new districts will be up for election in 2022.
- Then the Board has to assign Senate districts to one of two voting cycles. The Senate seats are staggered so only ten seats are up for election each year.
I'd note that ten seats will be up in 2022 in any case. Last time I think it was all but one or two Senate districts were up for election at the next election either due to truncation or their terms were up anyway.
Below are my very rough notes. Not verbatim, not complete, and sometimes could be inaccurate, so just take them as a rough guide to what was discussed. I'm just too tired to go through them right now.
ARB Nov 5, Afternoon Session Notes
3:48pm
Binkley: Metes and Bounds over weekend.
9am public testimony for Senate pairings
Binkley - numbers 1-40 important so people can say #9 and #12 should be renumbered so they can be paired. Let people know that numbers assigned are for reference, but not final.
Marcum: They have to be contiguous, but do they have to be numerically paired.
Matt Singer: I don’t think constitutionally, but traditionally
Bahnke: Explantion for earlier actions. Process wise would like benefit of legal counsel in executive session before final map. Today we looked at Anchorage and we should obtain legal advice on Anchorage. Pursue a compromise map, concern about v4 only about deviations that could be improved. Borromeo said it would be a compromise on compactness if change deviations. Should only look at new maps to improve what we have.
Part 3. Other than deviations that could be improved in v4.
Marcum: Absolutely, I took the criticism from testimony to change maps. A lot as you know that Anchorage as a whole is SEI, so deviation is next. We should take deviations from the public and make adjustments.
Bahnke: Not inviting criticism of v4, but just asking is you have any concerns about v.4
Marcum: I hesitate to offer criticisms of other Board member’s maps.
Borromeo: It’s constructive to me because I raised issues of Bethany’s maps. I’d like to know if you have concerns about my map. It would be helpful. Don’t take as personal criticism.
Marcum: Ok, I do think the military bases are connected to areas outside gates. Not taken into account In your version. As I did that I didn’t think downtown was important as I saw. Not a helpful exercise for me. Not my place to criticize other Board members’ maps. Not purpose of our discussion.
Borromeo - I took bases into consideration. I constantly go through Govt. Hill base. When I go to commissary and there’s a healthy population of veterans back to Korean War vets. I actually took the naive population.
Marcum: I criticized your map and you got defensive. I don’t think publicly going on record to criticize a fellow Board member.
Borromeo: this has no bearing on what we’re doing.
Binkely: I don’t think this is helpful.
Bahnke: It wasn’t a personal criticism of you, but questions about the map to help me understand the the constitutional issue?
Binkley: What’s the point. What are you trying to constitution?
Bahnke: To hear if there are any issues that raise constitutional issues.
I won’t push the issue anymore I’ll take the concerns about deviations,
Marcum: I don’t feel it’s right to publicly criticize other Board members. That’s what I believe.
Binkley: We probably could go to executive session.
Break for ES - forgot to put down time
4:56 people coming back into the room
5:01 - working more on Matsu maps. Oh dear, this is going to be tedious. We could be here to midnight.
Peter: Both maps the same in that they respect city and Borough boundaires. Still pick up most population from southern portion.
Marcum: Denali Borough has carve out to get Cantwell to make them part of Ahtna. Not totally comfortable but for SEI reasons. Ranges from 344 deviation to ?52.
Peter:
Bahnke: For Cantwell into district for SEI reasons
Binkley - I think pipeline on both sides of the Richardson Highway
Borromeo: When move boundaries a bit to the left gets both sides of the road. I had a lot of trouble
around that lake too.
 |
| Borromeo consulting with Bahnke |
around that lake too.
Binkley: Consensus around Matsu.
Borromeo: When I went back it was a two day exercise, census blocks really hard to smooth out.
Binkley: Consensus in 38,39, couple villages from 38 to 37. Can you look at that?
Bahnke: Co chair of AFN CEO of Bethel? Native Corporation offered written testimony. Doesn’t weigh in on moving Ahtna communities. Board v4, (reading) with integrity and transparency addressed Constitutional criteria. SEI connections this summer. Groups unable to harvest salmon - member communities helped out. Music, songs, and dances similar.
But in Bethel, it wouldn’t be a backward move to move Platinum and Goodness Bay back, though they're up in Dillingham.
Binkley: They were talking about Chevak - about 900 -
[NOTE: I could hear the Board members better when I was listening online than here live.]
 |
| Marcum |
Binkley: Andrew Guy from Calista.
Marcum: Not issue about moving Scammon Bay etc. ???
Binkley: Not sure I heard it that way.
Borromeo: Platinum would be easier because it’s smaller.
[Discussion about moving villages and impact on deviations of the districts.]
Bahnke: Start with Goodnews Bay and Platinum because of the SEI.
 |
| Binkley |
Binkley: From 38 to 35.
Bahnke: Populations 65 and 2??. Makes 37 less than 1% deviation. How much is 38 underpopulated?
1000
Chevak is ??? Scammon Bay is 600
Binkley: I didn’t realize Russian Mission was in D38.
Russian Mission is now in D39.
Bahnke: Can we compare deviations before we make deviations?
We’re done on 36.
Binkley: Let’s go to SE.
TJ Presley: The map we’re working on is ???
Simpson: (Having trouble hearing) pointing specific changes made in the maps. Pointed out a representative was caught in an appendage. Moved miles away. Gustavus - pick up pop and recognizing SEI Gustavus is gateway to Glacier Bay Natl Park and not Native.
Sealaska represents 22,000.
Bahnke: I thought we had consensus on this.
Binkley: walk us through.
Presley: We’re at Kodiak now , Seldovia??
Borromeo: If Board has no objection I move we approve 5.
Move to six - S Kachemak Bay
People standing up and stretching. Some phallic zoom bombing
Simpson: Moving up to Kasilof. Lots of testimony from Kachemak Bay should stay together, especially Fritz Creek. We worked that extensively to figure out way to do this because had impacts on other areas.
Binkley: OK, move on to seven.
Peter: City of Kenai and City of Soldotna. There was an alignment straight thru a house. Fixed that.
5:52 Stretch break - problem with zoom screen sharing
5:57 Binkley - on to Fairbanks.
Peter: Matsu we just adopted doesn’t have Tanana.
Binkley: Walk us through
Peter: 33 is city of FB. City proper doesn’t have enough plus a bit more.
Binkley: Military on east, City proper on west. Court required Board to get two seats out of FB
Singer: Court said Board should look at.
Bahnke: Most intimately connected, since you lived there, do you think we can improve this SEI and meet our Constitutional requirements.
Binkley: Counsel has counseled is that the Borough is SEI. Problem, reflects all people in the Borough. Will require 4000 people moved out of B into another area. Hard to find 4000 in one part and move them out. Looked at North along census block line - I think the railroad. Stays inside the road.
Bahnke: Testimony of possibility of Eilson moved to 36. Would that accomplish one person one vote? And comments from Goldstream.
Binkley: I think you need to take more than Eilson because need 4000. Shapewise, if you zoom out, I know people in Goldstream feel closely aligned to University. Unfortunate to have to move 4000 to another district. My hope was to keep Borough whole even though over populated. Just not the will of the people in that area. It’s possible a representative from Goldstream is elected. 36 is diverse as well. Glen Allen and the many villages. Difficult to say SEI that 36 is homogenized. Wanted Assembly to give guidance. They know their people the best. Tough for them to make that decision and pass it on to us to make that decision. Tried to give some guidance in some of the whereas-es.
You can see the Fairbanks maps here.
We kept NP together - all of the city of NP and surrounding area. And changed 32 - wrapped around North Pole and people concerned couldn’t drive from one part of 32 to the other side without driving through the city. Pull 32 back around to the west. University and areas to the west.
[Basically, Binkley is saying he doesn’t know how to deal with the Goldsream complaints other than take Eilson and Salcha.
Borromeo: Uncertain, reading testimony. Eilson is closed community, own schools and power plant and a lot less integration than with Goldstream.
Binkley: True, very strict regulation of getting onto the base. People in Eilson pride themselves of integrating military into the community. Liaisons between military and FB. Very involved. Don’t feel like it’s an isolated island. Military itself is hesitant. They wouldn’t testify. Tough.
Singer: As a matter of law, everyone in the B is SEI. Everyone is. I would encourage the Board to consider following other requirements - compactness, etc. Can’t make determination that one neighbor over another.
Borromeo: You have offered rational for why doing this. I’d like to move that the NSFB approved.
Bahnke: I’m ok with that. We took Valdez out of 36.
Marcum: We have said Cantwell is SEI but it’s clearly not compact.
Matt Singer: I agree that putting Cantwell, makes sense, but challenging constitutional concerns about Regional Corporation desire to include Cantwell.
Bahnke: I heard you say relative compact compared to other maps. Other 36 is so large so the % of what we’re adding, it’s not a significant difference in terms of compactness.
Borromeo: He wasn’t on FB Assembly - apologize for misstating that.
Binkley: OK we can move on to Anchorage [I guess that FB is done]
6:43 Back from break.
 |
| This is the Final Anchorage map, click to enlarge |
Binkley: two Anchorage maps up.
Bahnke: In terms of SEI, compactness, VRA analysis (in Exec Sessions) I believe v4 is the best so I move we accept vr best.
Binkley: Is there a second? And seconded. Discussion.
Simpson: Lot of testimony about Anchorage district, some more hopeful than others. People have said portions of unconstitutional if that turns out to be the case, could be used particularly if they were independent of each other. Found myself thinking strongly that the deviations smaller on ?? And that is ????? Also looked at compactness which I find also important just eyeball I think that ??? Is more compact. More square and fewer . Only stated in context that I think both are ok. I think probably had more time based on when Census data came in and all we had to do, another month, we could probably. No singular version more pleasing to all of us. So, I think for me is lot of testimony, heard both sides, I need to go with one I think is most legally sustainable I come to view v4 because overall its combination of good deviation and cleaner lines and compactness. That’s where I am. [A vote for v4]
Binkley: For me the same tests - look at compactness and so I weigh them equally and then deviation. All things considered I go to v3. Any others?
Marcum: I believe the map I put together considering the legal info provided, but we got it late, I believe the best balance between compactness and deviation? Don’t know what she picked I assume 3.
Borromeo called the question. Go f
Yes, Yes, No Yes No. Three-Two the motion passes. That was Bahnke, Borromeo, Simpson Yes and
Binkley and Marcum NO
6:53pm Simpson: Ask staff to carefully review and advise us if they find any problems. We have to come back Monday.
Binkley: More a technical - enough to forward it for metes and bounds for the whole state.
Motion?
Marcum: 48 hours is minimum. Metes and Bounds may not be done. Proclamation has to be Wednesday.
Simpson: Good point. We don’t need that for Senate pairings.
I move we adopt this map and we should name it v7.
Binkley: It should be called final map eventually. It will become vFinal.
Simpson: staff do metes and bounds and staff recommend minor changes to Board for review before final proclamation.
Any objection :
Marcum I’m going to vote yes????
Roll call vote:
Marcum no
Simpson yes
Binkley yes
Borromeo yes
Bahnke yes
6:58
Binkley - staff will work on details and metes and bounds. This evening it will be online by what time?
Peter Torkelson: I really want to get it right. We can make some screenshots. Be sure to refresh the homepage. We’ll call it final. So far I’ve only little tiny errors.
Binkley: By noon tomorrow people should be able to see maps - we’re shooting for. Monday at 9am we’ll meet again. We’ll do public testimony Monday - purpose is to talk about Senate pairings. Apologize for people having to wait so long today. After we take public testimony on Senate Pairings. Not comments on whether you like the plan. Just pairings. Each district will have a number 1-40, but not the final numbers. We may change those numbers. Use the numbers on the map to explain your recommendations. Districts have to be contiguous, but numbers don’t have to be in order.
Once we have pairings, the next step is for staff to determine how the districts have changed - Peter?
Peter: Alaska law requires we truncate. So we will calculate how many people in new Senate seat were able to vote for the existing Senator. Depending on the percentage.
Binkley: Then we have to decide the cycles for the Senate district. Which are on 2022 or 2024 cycle. When that is determined we make the final proclamation.
That starts 30 window when public has the chance to challenge the proclamation.
Peter Torkelson: Then division of elections has to redraw all the precincts and send people new voting cards.
Binkley: Keep track of the website to see the new maps.
Torkelson: Sign up to be notified on the website then you don’t have to keep checking - you’ll get an email when things are ready.
Simpson: Can we identify the number we consider substantial for truncation of Senate districts?
Binkley: Should we adopt a number? Have they looked at it and come up with a number? Or did they have a number.
Motion to adjourn?
7:10 pm adjourned.
Note: Monday they will meet at the Board's office again.
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