HR 1773
Background and Procedural Information

On March 28, 2008 Georgia Assemblyperson Mary Oliver introduced Georgia House Resolution 1773 (GA H.R. 1773).  As of June 4, 2008 it is currently before the Georgia House Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee.  

Under the proposed legislation, are single-member districts a requirement or otherwise implied?

No.  Single-member districts are not required or otherwise implied.  

Does the proposed legislation provide for Voting Rights Act compliance (e.g. can the commission use voter history information)?

Yes.  The commission is instructed to use six criteria to determine the composition of the districts.  One of the criterions is that “plan shall be in compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended.” There is no provision of the resolution preventing the use of voter history information.
Under the proposed legislation, how is the commission formed?

The Lieutenant Governor, Senate Minority Leader, Speaker of the House, and House Minority Leader will each appoint one member to the commission.  The governor would appoint two commissioners one of which may not be a member of his party.  These six commissioners will then appoint the seventh commissioner.   

The commission would create a final separate redistricting plan for Congressional, Georgia Senate, and Georgia House of Representative districts.  The Georgia House and Senate must approve a plan for it to become law.  If the either the Georgia House or Senate disapprove of a plan then it will be sent back to the Commission for revisions.  After revisions are made the Commission will resubmit the redistricting plan for approval.  If the Georgia House or Senate disapproves of the plan then the Commission is relieved of responsibility and the George Legislature will create its own plan.
 
Under the proposed legislation, are competitive districts favored?

No.  The Commission has six priority guidelines.  Creating competitive districts are not one of these priorities.  

Under the proposed legislation, can members of the public submit plans?

No.  Members of the public may attend hearings and “express opinions.” At least one hearing will take place in every Congressional district.   

Does the proposed legislation allow for mid-decade redistricting?

The Bill does not allow mid-decade redistricting by the Commission, but does not limit the power of the Georgia legislature to engage in mid-decade redistricting.   

 
June 18th 2006
Where politicians dare to tread
San Francisco Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle editorial board endorses the British Columbia Citizens Assembly approach to electoral reform, specifically noting the potential for proportional representation in California.

March 21st 2006
Real redistricting reform is proportional representation
San Francisco Examiner

Rob Dickinson of Californians for Electoral Reform writes a commentary on how recent proposals to make the redistricting process fairer miss the mark. For real progress in how we elect our representatives, we need to turn to proportional voting.

March 1st 2006
Tanner redistricting bill gains Senate sponsor
The Hill

Senator Tim Johnson introduced a companion bill to Rep. John Tanner's federal redistricting reform legislation. The identical bills, supported by FairVote, would set up state commissions to handle redistricting only once a decade.

December 20th 2005
Overhaul of state electoral system sought

Following on the heels of the defeat of redistricting reform in California, Republican and Democratic legislators plan on introducing legislation to create a citizens assembly for election reform and discuss proportional voting for the state.

December 11th 2005
A Dramatic Idea for Election Reform
New York Times

A Times reader highlights the fundamental weakness of any single-member district-based system: gerrymandering is unavoidable.

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