HB 1498

Background and procedural information
HB 1498. This bill would establish a non-partisan redistricting commission of 5 members for Indiana�s congressional and assembly districts.

Under the proposed legislation, are single-member districts a requirement or otherwise implied?
Implied. The bill requires a specific number of districts for house and senate, and requires the districts reflect equal population with no more than 1% deviation from ideal population.

Does the proposed legislation provide for Voting Rights Act compliance (e.g. can the commission use voter history information)?
Maybe. The bill requires considering the effect of plans on language and racial minority groups, but it criminalizes the use of political data in creating or evaluating plans.

Under the proposed legislation, how is the commission formed?
Commission members will be appointed by the speaker of the house, minority leader of the house, president pro tem of the senate, minority leader of the senate, and the chief justice of the state supreme court. Each of the appointing authorities shall appoint one individual to be a commission member. A member must be a resident of Indiana and may not have been a member of the general assembly, congress, a candidate for either, an appointed official, campaign manager, or lobbyist.

Under the proposed legislation, are competitive districts favored?
Neutral.

Under the proposed legislation, can members of the public submit plans?
Yes. The agency is required to publish and evaluate maps and suggestions submitted by the public.

Does the proposed legislation allow for mid-decade redistricting?
No.

 
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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