Background and Procedural Information
Republican Representative Jonathan
Patton introduced House Concurrent Resolution 2026 on January 17, 2008.
The bill attempts to change Arizona’s five-person independent redistricting
commission into an elected body where each U.S. Congressional district
elects one commissioner. The Arizona House of Representatives
passed the Resolution on March 26, 2008. As of July 21, 2008 it
failed to pass out of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Under the proposed legislation, are single-member districts a requirement or otherwise implied?
Partially. The bill requires
that there will be 30 legislative districts that each containing one
Senator and two Representatives.
Does the proposed legislation provide for Voting Rights Act compliance (e.g. can the commission use voter history information)?
Yes. H.C.R. 2026 lists
six priorities in order of importance that commissioners should use
to develop districts. The second most important priority is compliance
with the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act. Party registration
and voting history data are to be excluded from the initial phase of
the mapping process but may be used to test maps for compliance with
the above goals. The places of residence of incumbents or candidates
will not be identified or considered.
Under the proposed legislation, how is the commission formed?
Each U.S. Congressional district
will elect one commissioner in years ending in zero. There are
no restrictions on the party affiliation of the commissioners.
Under the proposed legislation, are competitive districts favored?
H.C.R. 2026 lists six priorities
in order of importance that commissioners should use to develop districts.
The sixth priority is for competitive districts. Competitive districts
should be used only when they do not interfere with the other five goals.
Under the proposed legislation, can members of the public submit plans?
No. The independent redistricting
commission will advertise a draft map of congressional districts and
a draft map of legislative districts to the public for comment.
The public can then comment for make a comment for 30 days.
Does the proposed legislation allow for mid-decade redistricting?
Yes. Mid-decade redistricting is not mentioned, but there are no restrictions preventing it from being used.