A BETTER WAY TO ELECT OUR LEADERS
Miami Herald Op. Ed. -- January 18, 2010
By Deirdre Macnab
Do you know who represents you in Congress? Do you know the name of your
state senator or representative?
If you answer No, don't be embarrassed. Read on. The fault may not be
your own.
Speaking to a group of almost 300 Florida Rotarians, who are among the
state's most active and informed citizens, I asked for a show of hands
of those who could identify their state legislators and members of Congress.
It was a moment I'll never forget:
Two individuals raised their hands.
Why is it so difficult in Florida to know who represents us in state
government and Congress? Could it be because legislative districts throughout
the state are cut into splinters and pieces by design?
Could it be because, in these districts, so many of us have legislators
who live in distant areas and towns? Could it be because natural geographical
boundaries have been ignored for years as legislators have gerrymandered
districts for their own partisan and personal benefit, not those of ``we
the people''?
There's a way to fix this and make things right for all Florida voters,
perhaps ushering in a new dawn of accountability for our elected officials.
Two constitutional amendments, supported by the League of Women Voters
of Florida are very close to making it to the Nov. 2 ballot.
These amendments would set clear, simple constitutional rules to stop
legislators from drawing districts for their own benefit. The new rules
will ensure that districts are fair to minority voters, are compact, keep
communities together, and use existing geographical lines wherever possible.
The Florida League of Cities, The Florida League of Mayors, The Florida
Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and the Florida NAACP all have
already endorsed these amendments, and newspapers' editorial boards (including
The Miami Herald's) favor this important change.
Florida's Constitution requires that legislators redraw the election
districts every 10 years after the federal census -- but now there are
no standards for drawing those lines. This lack of standards too often
results in a partisan crazy quilt. Your next-door neighbor or the person
down the street may have a different state representative than you do.
How do even the most informed voters keep track?
Sophisticated mapping software allows state elected officials to cherry-pick
the voters they want to have, creating messy districts that have no rhyme
or reason geographically, making it almost impossible for voters to know
clearly who represents their community. Gerrymandered districts -- mapped
with collusion between both major political parties -- are assigned to
be either Republican or Democratic. There is virtually no chance to change
the predetermined result in any given
election.
The legislators' goal is to accomplish a particular partisan result.
It is not to ensure that the politicians elected reflect the views of
the people whom they represent.
It is no wonder that there are fewer really competitive elections in
Florida than almost any state in the union.
Incumbents are rarely defeated and seats almost never change hands from
one party to another. Independents do not have a chance!
With Fair Districts, voters would have a meaningful ability to choose
their elected officials instead of allowing politicians to pick their
voters. Voters would have a greater opportunity to know who to write or
call when they want to share views and ideas with officeholders -- bringing
accountability on issues of home insurance, school funding, property taxes,
agency funding and so on. And voters would have more motivation to vote
if their vote could make a real difference.
For too long Florida has endured a divide-and- conquer approach. The
Fair Districts amendment will be a victory for all voters.
-/Deirdre MacNab is the president of the League of Women Voters of Florida.
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