By Sharon Edgar and Laura Huenneke
At our most recent Saturday monthly meeting, Sharon Edgar provided a review of how the 2020-2021 redistricting effort was manipulated years in advance by Republicans to engineer several new “sure” congressional and legislative districts for GOP candidates. She is working with several groups, including some within the Arizona Democratic Party, to consider ways of preparing more effectively for the 2030 census and the subsequent redistricting cycle. On April 22, our State Committee members will be voting on a resolution and a by-laws change (prepared and sponsored by our own Ann Heitland and Donna Hanley, in collaboration with others) that is focused in part on launching this important work now.
While the federal Census and our state redistricting effort occur just once every decade, the foundational work takes place over several years. Communities – especially historically under-represented and rural ones — can and should do a lot of ground work to prepare for effective representation in the Census. Meanwhile, the identification and selection of members of the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission begin years in advance. Arizona’s Commission on Appellate Court Appointments (CACA) selects a short list of finalists (Republican, Democratic, and Independent) from the pool of applicants; but it is the Governor who appoints members of the CACA, and Governor Ducey had distorted this supposedly bipartisan Commission by failing for many years to appoint the requisite number of Democrats. The Arizona Democratic Party ought to be proactive in following the course of CACA appointments and in finding good Democratic nominees, beginning now.
Meanwhile, we should also be working aggressively to find good nominees for the Independent Redistricting Commission (or IRC) itself. Legislative leaders appoint two Republican and two Democratic members of the IRC from the pool of finalists identified by the CACA. We can expect to spend several years identifying good Democratic prospects with relevant skills and temperament who are willing and interested to take on this enormous volunteer assignment, and then make sure they are able to put together good applications. The member of the IRC with the most power and influence is the Chair, who must be registered as an Independent and who is chosen from the finalist pool by the four appointed partisan members. We should begin as soon as possible to identify reasonable, thoughtful Independents with good leadership skills and relevant background – or do as the Republicans did in the last cycle, and find one or more strong Democrat who would change voter registration to Independent far enough ahead of the IRC application process. (No IRC applicant can be a PC or an elected official or candidate, within the past three years of selection.)
All of this work requires proactive, consistent attention long before the actual Census and IRC processes are launched. Currently ADP’s bylaws assign redistricting responsibility to the Election Integrity Committee; no State Party committee is specifically charged with safeguarding voter interests in the Census. Given the enormous breadth of responsibilities carried by the Election Integrity Committee, a stand-alone committee could provide the singular focus and dedicated effort to ensure more fair redistricting. At the State Committee Meeting on April 22, members will be voting on a proposed by-law amendment on standing committees. Part of this proposal is to establish a Committee related to the Census and redistricting, and also to allow participation on standing committees by Democrats who have relevant experience and expertise but who may not be State Committee Members.
The proposed new Committee would take on tasks such as: monitoring and intervening in, if necessary, appointments to the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments; recruiting potential Democratic IRC commissioners; ensuring full state-wide participation in the Census; and recommending strategies and staffing to ensure that the next redistricting effort produces more fair results. In the actual redistricting process, the new Committee will monitor the IRC and publicize their work; organize Arizonans to participate in IRC proceedings and provide diverse and representative input; work with staff and consultants to provide the 2031 Democratic and Independent Commissioners with real-time mapping assistance, legal advice, and data necessary to develop and approve fair and competitive district maps. The Committee may also consider means of improving the state’s redistricting process, perhaps through a constitutional amendment with a ballot proposition campaign.
We encourage State Committee Members to read through, consider, and vote for the proposed by-law amendment on April 22. And we encourage all of our members to help defend democracy by paying attention to the advance stages of the Census and redistricting process as they unfold over the next few years.
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