To The Editor,
I would like to respond to Senator Lippincott’s column, “What’s all the hoopla about redistricting?” As a former member of the Nebraska State Legislature and the Vice Chairperson of the 2011 Redistricting Committee during my tenure I feel I can bring another perspective for your consideration.
While we talk frequently about the non-partisan structure of our legislature there is no doubt that redistricting is the most partisan issue that senators experience. It is just the nature of the beast that when we discuss creating the lines that define boundaries for various elected offices, both state and federal, people are going to fight for any advantage to support their political persuasions.
There are a variety of federal and state laws and guidelines that direct the redistricting process. For Nebraska these include an equal number of people per district, not discriminating based on race or ethnicity, requiring the districts to be contiguous, compact, and take into consideration political subdivision boundaries (counties, cities, and villages), the districts should also be understandable to voters, and preserve the core of previous district boundaries.
Mid-term redrawing of districts has been rare and was usually the result of courts determining that maps did not meet the legal requirements. Make no mistake, the message is very clear about why there is a push to move to a mid-census redistricting. The stated intention is to manipulate the upcoming mid-term elections to ensure that the majority party not only maintains its margins but grows them. This is a blatant move to dilute minority votes. Keep in mind that in the case of Nebraska rural voters are in the minority, so any attempt to redraw lines could very easily move towards more urban influence.
There are no altruistic motives for redrawing districts as Senator Lippincott tries to convey in his column. This is not about adjusting boundaries to “better reflect changing community interests or demographic trends, potentially improving representation for underrepresented groups.” This is a plain and simple power grab.
I remember sage advice given to me during my time as a senator, “be careful what you ask for; it can always come back and bite you.”
Annette Dubas
Fullerton