Thursday, April 07, 2022

Redistricting - Some History To Consider What Could Happen Next

Because I blogged the 2011 Redistricting Board and have a tab at the top of this blog with an index of all the posts, it's easy to see what happened back then to compare to now.  I'd note there is also an index of all the posts I've done this round at AKRedistricting 2020-2022, under the banner above.   That 2011 process dragged out until 2014.  And there were a number of new plans that were written and rejected before the final plan was approved.  

This time round, the problems were much more focused:  

  • Cantwell, which I think they have satisfactorily addressed, and
  •  Senate Seat K.  Here, they are currently down to two choices.  One which will easily be approved by the Judge.  The other, which seems to be favored by the majority of the Board, stands a chance of getting rejected for the same reasons the first one did - political gerrymandering.  


That 2011 Board got its Census data on March 15, 2011 and had 90 days to approve its proclamation.  They got it done on June 13 and not two weeks later there was a legal challenge from Fairbanks.  By July 14 there were two more. 


Tuesday, June 13, 2011
Board Approves Proclamation and Other Documents, Then Goes Into Executive Session
The board members congratulate themselves on doing a great job and approve their work.  


Sunday, June 26, 2011
Fairbanks to Sue Over Redistricting  - I comment on a Fairbanks News Miner article.

July 14, 2011

Three Challenges To Redistricting Plan Arrived By Deadline - Cases Attached-Brief overview of the three challenges, one from the Fairbanks North Star Borough, one from a resident of Goldstream and a resident of Ester, and one from the City of Petersburg.  Copies of the cases are embedded in the post.  


The Board wanted the trial moved to Anchorage, but the judge denied that.  There was something of a gap and staff took other jobs while waiting for the trial.  As I recall it was in Fairbanks in January and I was glad I was listening in by phone.  

The results of the trial didn't come until January 2012.  

Monday, January 9, 2012
Four Districts Found Unconstititional  - quick look at court documents

Sounds of Silence - The court proceedings are on audio teleconference, but can't hear anything.

Paskvan Testifies - Sen Paskvan, one of two Democratic Fairbanks Senators put in the same district testifies.

Plaintiffs Trying to Show Gerrymandering - Sen. Thomas (who is paired with Paskvan) is describing strange loops moving legislators in or out of a district.

Senator Thomas Continues - More of the same.
While blog posts are still up ten years later, the pages that held the documents are no longer working.  In fact all the material from the 2011 Board's website and other state links that had documents are gone.  Peter Torkelson, the Board's Executive Director this time, says he's doing all he can to make sure that doesn't happened again with the current Board's website.  

In 2011 it took from June until February to go from Proclamation Plan to trial outcome. And then to the Supreme Court which sent the plan back to the Board for repairs on March 15 - NINE months after their proclamation and ONE YEAR after they got their Census data.    

In 2022 it took from November 10, 2021 to February  16, 2022 to go from Proclamation to trial outcome.  And it was March 25, 2022 when the Supreme Court ruled. 
This time the gap was just a little over FOUR months.  But remember, the Census data was delayed in 2020 because of the Trump administration's attempt to ask citizenship questions and because of the pandemic.  So the current Board didn't start mapping until August.  =

Here's a bit more on what happened.  Not expecting anyone to read it all, but it's there for your perusal.  You'll find some similarities to this decade's process.  
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
    Tuesday, February 7, 2012 

      Tuesday, March 13, 2012

      Wednesday, March 14, 2012

      Thursday, March 15, 2012
        Saturday, March 17, 2012
        Tuesday, March 20, 2012
        • Alaska Redistricting Process - What Happens Next? - Looks at the questions:
          • The Board will have to make a new plan and that has lots of possibilities.
            • What are the parts they have to change?
            • Can they be fixed without messing with the rest of the districts?
            • Do they start completely fresh or leave most of the existing plan intact? 
            • Are there any candidates obviously affected?
        Then they come up with a new plan April 5, 2012.  I'd note that the previous Board still had to get pre-clearance from the federal Department of Justice to be sure they complied with the Voting Rights Act.  That pre-clearance requirement was gutted by the Supreme Court until the next year, when, as you'll see, the Board was still working on another plan.  

        Thursday, April 5, 2012 

         Friday, April 20, 2012  

        They come up with more options;

        May 1, 2012

        • Redistricting Board's Supreme Court Appeal - First I wonder out loud why the board didn't tell us how they were able to come to agreement so easily without discussing many details at the public meeting.  Second, I try to explain what I think the court had asked for and what the board needed to do.  

        May 7, 2012 

        May 11, 2012 

        May 14, 2012 

        The Supreme Court doesn't like them.  

        May 22, 2012

         

        Things drag on.

        Dec. 29, 2012   

         

        Feb 1, 2013
        What's At Stake If Redistrict Board Has To Start Over? - Looks at:

        • Form over Substance
          • The Board's Task
          • The Court's Task
          • What Happened?
          • Form Over Substance?
          • My Conclusion 
        • Impact Of Redoing The Plan From Scratch
          • A Lot of Work
          • Should the job be given back to the Board?
          • Impact on the balance of Democrats and Republicans in the legislature
          • Impact on voters' connection to their legislators  

        I'm going to skip on ahead.

        Wednesday, June 19, 2013

        Monday July 8, 2013

        Sunday, July 14 , 2013


        Notes from the Last Alaska Redistricting Meeting.  Everyone Hopes So 
        - My very rough notes of, what many hope, was the last Alaska Redistricting Board (unless there are legal challenges)  meeting, where they approve the Proclamation and the findings and the metes and bounds.   

        Photos of the Last Redistricting Board Meeting - The Board, some of the audience, AFFER and CALISTA folks, Board's signatures.  


        Such hopes!  Quickly dashed.


        Thursday, August 29, 2013

        But the end is in sight.

        Monday, Nov 18, 2013 

        Dec 20, 2013

         

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