I asked the attorney, Michael White, about whether the public would have access to the computer software they are using to manipulate the data and test out different plans. He suggested I talk to the Executive Director, Ron Miller.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
More testimony, a map
Vicky Russell - Retired teacher. Alaska Women's Political Caucus. Glad you've adopted and shared guidelines. Appreciate your commitment to avoid politican and racial gerrymandering. The 2001 apportionment led to balance politically and allowed our legistors to work together. And want to be sure Alaska Natives represented fairly in legislature. Remind you these are important decisions, due care, represent the rights of all Alaskans to be represented fairly.
Torgerson: During the break, legal gave us new guidelines for Federal. Can you walk us through the memo?
Michael White: This is beyond administrative issues - full discussion with the board pushing more than we can do. Perhaps . . . any upcoming meetings teleconferenced? We could meet then so people could listen and hear. Don't want people to say it isn't on the agenda.
At the break talk to each of you, but no notice to public of this issue.
Quiet - they're thinking.
Torgerson: OK, we'll stand in recess at 2:53pm. They went out for coffee and snacks and are walking back in now at about 3:11.
If you are in downtown Anchorage, come by and just ask questions, look at the maps.
Redistricting Board - A Couple More Comments
Attorney Michael White:
Ms. Lamb[nd]reth's comment on the first part is right - last sentence of par. 2c and move it up to be the last paragraph 2b.
The second part I don't agree with her yet - removing unavoidable before retrogression
Heidi Drygas - Gen Council from Alaska District Council Laborers. AK faces significant challenges because of growth and loss in parts of the state. But we should resist the urge to make significant changes. Districts we have now work well, and to the extent we can maintain them we should. Resulted in good party representation in the state as well as Native representation. Current districts under 2001 plan represents the people well.
2:14pm: Deborah Williams: Reserve bulk of comments to March 31 because we are eagerly looking at numbers and drawing lines. Appreciate that opportunity to present the plans March 31.
1. You've already taken care of - the guideline issues.
2. Saw in most recent notice, your desire to have administrative board meetings prior to the public hearings. I would recommend you do one of two things at the prehearing board meetings;
a. telephonically communicated - notify people on mailing list and calling number. If technically impossible.
b. have staff as quickly as possible summarize the meeting send out info to mailing list.
Thank you for your hard work. Very impressed by your deliberations, Last meeting was outstanding.
2:19 recess until next wave.
Board continued to sit as a group and talk about the Federal law.
Torgerson: Stop talking until we're on the record.
Ms. La
The second part I don't agree with her yet - removing unavoidable before retrogression
Heidi Drygas - Gen Council from Alaska District Council Laborers. AK faces significant challenges because of growth and loss in parts of the state. But we should resist the urge to make significant changes. Districts we have now work well, and to the extent we can maintain them we should. Resulted in good party representation in the state as well as Native representation. Current districts under 2001 plan represents the people well.
2:14pm: Deborah Williams: Reserve bulk of comments to March 31 because we are eagerly looking at numbers and drawing lines. Appreciate that opportunity to present the plans March 31.
1. You've already taken care of - the guideline issues.
2. Saw in most recent notice, your desire to have administrative board meetings prior to the public hearings. I would recommend you do one of two things at the prehearing board meetings;
a. telephonically communicated - notify people on mailing list and calling number. If technically impossible.
b. have staff as quickly as possible summarize the meeting send out info to mailing list.
Thank you for your hard work. Very impressed by your deliberations, Last meeting was outstanding.
2:19 recess until next wave.
Board continued to sit as a group and talk about the Federal law.
Torgerson: Stop talking until we're on the record.
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.
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.
Redistricting Board Member - Robert Brodie Video
Before the meeting I got a bit of video with Board Member Robert Brodie. I'll post it now during the break.
Public Hearing - Redistricting Board - Live Blogging from Anchorage
It's 12:30pm and all the Board members are now here and the seats in the audience have a few more people,
Meeting being called to order.
Small agenda of board business now.
Roll Call.
All board members present.
Approval of agenda
Torgerson: Palmer meeting will be changed to Wasilla because room wasn't available in Palmer.
Approved.
Time adjustment in Kotzebue - to accommodate flight schedule - start at 1pm and adjourn at 6pm. Approved.
Adding Cold Bay and Nome to Post-Plan public hearing schedule. Approved.
12:35 Going into public hearing portion.
Ron Rivas - I live in District 20 - probably grown since last change, but still remains socially integrated area. It should remain unchanged to keep equal and just representation. I've read how in other states gerrymandering has taken place. I'm sure in our Great STate, such a thing wouldn't happen, however this gerrymandering process, enables areas to be adjusted so that incumbents have to run against each other. Which wouldn't benefit its citizenry. Citizens of each district should be vigilant so that thru redistricting process, incumbents shouldn't have to run against each other and thus weakening legislative power. Redistricting important to keep population balanced, but not gerrymandering to strengthen one party or another
Bruce Schulte - south anchorage along the marsh, eastern boundary a little rambling - encourage the board to clean up those boundaries, put northern boundary to Campbell Creek and extent eastern boundary perhaps to Seward Highway. Neighbors in dispar
Randy Ruedrich - Alaskans for Fair Redistricting - Overpoints on Redistricting about what happened ten years ago.
1. World changes rapidly. Were brought into US seemed like partisan Demo state, by 2000 more Republicans and now about 56,000 more Republicans. We expect a fair map to show changed results.
2. Federal Voting Rights Act - AK only state in union where this restraint applies. Important we retain AK Native voiting right. That's why I testified last time about getting Alaska Natives in prisons counted in their home areas. Will have important impact on voting counts for rural areas. Need plan based on solid record from your hearings.
3. HAve plan less likelihood to be litigated. If we have ... map. Delayed process confuses everything.
4. Prior gentleman talked about gerrymandering. If you want to look at worst case - 2001 plan had 21 republicans paired and no Democrats paired. We need to do a better job of drawing a fair and equitable plan. Also shouldn't fit communities. ER deliberately split after litigation. No remedy from Supreme Court. Your responsibility to prevent splitting communities. South Anchorage also split - narrowest part one row of houses. Everything else put in District 31. Community dissected. If not for one house, wouldn't have been contiguous. District 28 looks more rational because of the marshlands. South end of 28 Joe Green, north end Lesil McGuire. That redistricting made one of them extra. In ER, same problem. Most of district on military bases. ER split after the trial, board again found a way to pair Randy Phillips with Con Bunde. Original plan to south end and linked it to Valdez. Still links Homer and Seward. Still not idea. Most people have heartfelt reasons for comments.
Torgerson: Randy on 31st we'll be accepting plans. So bring one in and we'll allow extra time to present them.
Jennifer Johnson - representing myself and on the Anchorage Assembly. Want to echo previous speakers about District 28 - could come up with better boundary. 32 when I ran for office, even tho there's a lot of similar issues between ER and Hillside, ER considers itself as a community. Inappropriate to have Dis. 32 in ER. Dst. 32 has increased substantially, probably mostly in ER. (Eagle River)
Judy E? - Resident of District 32. Have lived in ER for years. Main concern is that its very difficult for 32 to be repped by one person. Goes all the way to ER, Hillside, Girdwood, Hope, Alaska. Very different neighborhoods. ER see themselves as community within themselves. We don't go to same community council meetings. Feel like represented by someone they don't even know. Hillside has some common issues with ER. Encompasses a lot of park and vacant land, but people live there.
Hal Gazaway - in Anchorage since 1974 - lived all over Anchorage, now in Muldoon since 1998. Each neighborhoods has unique characteristics and unique needs. I would ask that Muldoon be kept in tact. Assembly is split so that North Muldoon is with ER and he didn't even know he represented us. Muldoon and ER have very different needs.
Ask Muldoon be kept in tact.
Seems like there's a break now.
Torgerson: We'll recess and reconvene as people show up. We'll be here until seven.
This is pretty rough, but live so I'll post now and then start again.
Meeting being called to order.
Small agenda of board business now.
Roll Call.
All board members present.
Approval of agenda
Torgerson: Palmer meeting will be changed to Wasilla because room wasn't available in Palmer.
Approved.
Time adjustment in Kotzebue - to accommodate flight schedule - start at 1pm and adjourn at 6pm. Approved.
Adding Cold Bay and Nome to Post-Plan public hearing schedule. Approved.
12:35 Going into public hearing portion.
Ron Rivas - I live in District 20 - probably grown since last change, but still remains socially integrated area. It should remain unchanged to keep equal and just representation. I've read how in other states gerrymandering has taken place. I'm sure in our Great STate, such a thing wouldn't happen, however this gerrymandering process, enables areas to be adjusted so that incumbents have to run against each other. Which wouldn't benefit its citizenry. Citizens of each district should be vigilant so that thru redistricting process, incumbents shouldn't have to run against each other and thus weakening legislative power. Redistricting important to keep population balanced, but not gerrymandering to strengthen one party or another
Bruce Schulte - south anchorage along the marsh, eastern boundary a little rambling - encourage the board to clean up those boundaries, put northern boundary to Campbell Creek and extent eastern boundary perhaps to Seward Highway. Neighbors in dispar
Randy Ruedrich - Alaskans for Fair Redistricting - Overpoints on Redistricting about what happened ten years ago.
1. World changes rapidly. Were brought into US seemed like partisan Demo state, by 2000 more Republicans and now about 56,000 more Republicans. We expect a fair map to show changed results.
2. Federal Voting Rights Act - AK only state in union where this restraint applies. Important we retain AK Native voiting right. That's why I testified last time about getting Alaska Natives in prisons counted in their home areas. Will have important impact on voting counts for rural areas. Need plan based on solid record from your hearings.
3. HAve plan less likelihood to be litigated. If we have ... map. Delayed process confuses everything.
4. Prior gentleman talked about gerrymandering. If you want to look at worst case - 2001 plan had 21 republicans paired and no Democrats paired. We need to do a better job of drawing a fair and equitable plan. Also shouldn't fit communities. ER deliberately split after litigation. No remedy from Supreme Court. Your responsibility to prevent splitting communities. South Anchorage also split - narrowest part one row of houses. Everything else put in District 31. Community dissected. If not for one house, wouldn't have been contiguous. District 28 looks more rational because of the marshlands. South end of 28 Joe Green, north end Lesil McGuire. That redistricting made one of them extra. In ER, same problem. Most of district on military bases. ER split after the trial, board again found a way to pair Randy Phillips with Con Bunde. Original plan to south end and linked it to Valdez. Still links Homer and Seward. Still not idea. Most people have heartfelt reasons for comments.
Torgerson: Randy on 31st we'll be accepting plans. So bring one in and we'll allow extra time to present them.
Jennifer Johnson - representing myself and on the Anchorage Assembly. Want to echo previous speakers about District 28 - could come up with better boundary. 32 when I ran for office, even tho there's a lot of similar issues between ER and Hillside, ER considers itself as a community. Inappropriate to have Dis. 32 in ER. Dst. 32 has increased substantially, probably mostly in ER. (Eagle River)
Judy E? - Resident of District 32. Have lived in ER for years. Main concern is that its very difficult for 32 to be repped by one person. Goes all the way to ER, Hillside, Girdwood, Hope, Alaska. Very different neighborhoods. ER see themselves as community within themselves. We don't go to same community council meetings. Feel like represented by someone they don't even know. Hillside has some common issues with ER. Encompasses a lot of park and vacant land, but people live there.
Hal Gazaway - in Anchorage since 1974 - lived all over Anchorage, now in Muldoon since 1998. Each neighborhoods has unique characteristics and unique needs. I would ask that Muldoon be kept in tact. Assembly is split so that North Muldoon is with ER and he didn't even know he represented us. Muldoon and ER have very different needs.
Ask Muldoon be kept in tact.
Seems like there's a break now.
Torgerson: We'll recess and reconvene as people show up. We'll be here until seven.
This is pretty rough, but live so I'll post now and then start again.
Not Much Happening at Redistricting Public Hearing
It's 12:20 pm at the Legislative Information Office for the Alaska Redistricting Board public hearings and just a few people are here. Things haven't started yet. So if you are in downtown Anchorage, walk over to 716 W. 4th Avenue Room 220, and stick your head in.
Anchorage Public Hearing Today - Harrison Suggests it Can't Be Fair Anyway
I know - I sound like a broken record.
The first Alaska Redistricting Board public hearing is today (Tuesday) in Anchorage from noon to 7pm at the:
Anchorage Legislative Information Office Building
716 West Fourth Avenue Room 220
You (anybody, not just Alaskans) can also listen in from your computer:
Audio streamed via http://alaskale
Wednesday they'll be in Wasilla
Noon to 7pm
Wasilla City Hall City
Council Chambers
290 East Herning
Meanwhile a reader pointed out an article by former executive director of the Alaska Redistricting Board, Gordon S Harrison, in the Alaska Law Review several years ago. It goes to the question I asked yesterday - can the Board be fair?
The first Alaska Redistricting Board public hearing is today (Tuesday) in Anchorage from noon to 7pm at the:
Anchorage Legislative Information Office Building
716 West Fourth Avenue Room 220
You (anybody, not just Alaskans) can also listen in from your computer:
Audio streamed via http://alaskale
Wednesday they'll be in Wasilla
Noon to 7pm
Wasilla City Hall City
Council Chambers
290 East Herning
Meanwhile a reader pointed out an article by former executive director of the Alaska Redistricting Board, Gordon S Harrison, in the Alaska Law Review several years ago. It goes to the question I asked yesterday - can the Board be fair?
IV. CONCLUSION
In the recent redistricting cycle in Alaska, the newly created Alaska Redistricting Board did not function as a bipartisan redistricting commission. There is no reason to expect it to do so in the future. Thus, the new Board is no improvement over the method of gubernatorial redistricting that it replaced. By both methods, one party may partition the state into election districts of its choice, constrained only by constitutional standards that are by no means a complete barrier to gerrymandering.
Partisan gerrymandering insults the democratic values of fair and equal representation for all citizens. Harm to the public interest from partisan gerrymanders can be avoided by giving both major parties a role in the redistricting process. Bipartisan participation can be accomplished by assigning the task to the legislature and requiring a supermajority vote to pass a redistricting bill. Public commissions such as the Alaska Redistricting Board are ill-suited to the rough-and-tumble politics of redistricting. Conflicts over redistricting are best resolved in the legislature.
A legislatively drawn redistricting plan will be self-serving, to be sure, but it should reasonably reflect the relative electoral strength of the two major parties. This outcome may not be an [*pg 79] ideal one, but it is an improvement over a redistricting plan that gives a disproportionately large electoral advantage to the major party. A bipartisan redistricting plan is the best that can be hoped for in the real political world.
Monday, March 21, 2011
I Finally Figure It Out: Senate Redistricting Data Hidden, Not Missing
[Guide to all the redistricting posts at the Alaska Redistricting Board tab above or here.]
Where's the Senate Data?
The Alaska Redistricting Board announced they had received the Census Data needed for redistricting last Tuesday. On their site they posted a list of Alaska House Districts with data from 2002 and 2010 and how much each district now deviated from the ideal (where every district would have exactly the same population) of 17,755 people.
But I kept waiting for the Senate data. Eventually, I figured it out. Each Senate seat is composed of two House seats. So, the House data is ALSO the Senate data. But you have to know that and then create the Senate data using the House data. So that's what I've done in these two charts. I'm also assuming that the ideal Senate seat is double the ideal House seat. (There are 20 Senate seats and 40 House seats.)
So I've made two charts.
CHART 1: Shows the House districts AND their corresponding Senate districts. For example: Senate District A is made up of House Districts 1 and 2. B is made up of 3 and 4 and so on. It starts with House district 1 through 40 and Senate districts A through T. The Senate districts are marked with blue (Democratic) or red (Republican) and placed after their House districts. (Controls to enlarge the charts are at the bottom of each chart.)
WARNING - I'm a fallible human being trying to use modern technology to come up with these numbers. So, use with caution and double check the numbers if you use them for something important. If you notice errors, leave a comment and/or email me.
Redistricting House & Senate Districts
[If you're wondering about the entries in the "2010 % Deviation" column for the Senate seats, you're reading this much more carefully than anyone else. I used a formula to get the percent, but couldn't figure how to make them read as percent. So I stuck the percent for Senate districts more clearly in the next column.]
CHART 2: Shows just the Senate districts. I've started with the district that has most the people higher than the ideal district size (35,510) and goes down to the closest to the ideal, then goes to the districts below the ideal ending with the district with the most people lower than the ideal size.
Redistricting Senate By Deviation
I haven't figured out what it all means, though I've put a few observations into the second chart. But I figure I should get this out there so others might be able to start making sense of it.
Remember: Tuesday Public Hearing in Anchorage already. Wednesday in Wasilla. Then to Juneau, Ketchikan, Fairbanks, Kotzebue, Bethel, and finally a statewide teleconference based in Anchorage on March 31. The detailed schedule from the board is here.
Where's the Senate Data?
The Alaska Redistricting Board announced they had received the Census Data needed for redistricting last Tuesday. On their site they posted a list of Alaska House Districts with data from 2002 and 2010 and how much each district now deviated from the ideal (where every district would have exactly the same population) of 17,755 people.
But I kept waiting for the Senate data. Eventually, I figured it out. Each Senate seat is composed of two House seats. So, the House data is ALSO the Senate data. But you have to know that and then create the Senate data using the House data. So that's what I've done in these two charts. I'm also assuming that the ideal Senate seat is double the ideal House seat. (There are 20 Senate seats and 40 House seats.)
So I've made two charts.
CHART 1: Shows the House districts AND their corresponding Senate districts. For example: Senate District A is made up of House Districts 1 and 2. B is made up of 3 and 4 and so on. It starts with House district 1 through 40 and Senate districts A through T. The Senate districts are marked with blue (Democratic) or red (Republican) and placed after their House districts. (Controls to enlarge the charts are at the bottom of each chart.)
WARNING - I'm a fallible human being trying to use modern technology to come up with these numbers. So, use with caution and double check the numbers if you use them for something important. If you notice errors, leave a comment and/or email me.
Redistricting House & Senate Districts
[If you're wondering about the entries in the "2010 % Deviation" column for the Senate seats, you're reading this much more carefully than anyone else. I used a formula to get the percent, but couldn't figure how to make them read as percent. So I stuck the percent for Senate districts more clearly in the next column.]
CHART 2: Shows just the Senate districts. I've started with the district that has most the people higher than the ideal district size (35,510) and goes down to the closest to the ideal, then goes to the districts below the ideal ending with the district with the most people lower than the ideal size.
Redistricting Senate By Deviation
I haven't figured out what it all means, though I've put a few observations into the second chart. But I figure I should get this out there so others might be able to start making sense of it.
Remember: Tuesday Public Hearing in Anchorage already. Wednesday in Wasilla. Then to Juneau, Ketchikan, Fairbanks, Kotzebue, Bethel, and finally a statewide teleconference based in Anchorage on March 31. The detailed schedule from the board is here.
Q: A rare side effect of some PD medications is: A: Offensive body odor B: Sex or gambling addiction C: Flatulence
 |
| Peter, playing, at AIFF 2010 at showing of his animated film Oblivion 1964 |
Peter was a political cartoonist for the Anchorage Daily News and he applies his cartoonist ironic whimsy to look at his Parkinson's as an adventure (generally not pleasant) and I think his blog is one of the best in Alaska.
You can get the answer to the question and a bunch more at his blog. And see how learning can be fun. He has a much, much lighter touch than I have here and gets us to think about this disease differently than I've ever seen.
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