State politicians tout benefits of redistricting
It’s hard to tell which is uglier — the serpentine geographical layouts of many congressional districts or the manner in which they were drawn.
Rep. John Tanner, a Democrat representing the 8th congressional district in West Tennessee, has seen some ugly districts in his day. And he is tired of the raw-boned partisanship that creates those maps in states throughout the country.
Tanner has a better idea for how to go about redistricting, and he is joined in a reform plan by Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Nashville, and Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Chattanooga, along with at least two dozen other members of Congress. Tanner’s Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act would basically eliminate the purely partisan practice of legislators drawing the lines in most states and replace that system with bipartisan commissions to do the job….
Tanner’s proposal is far superior to the current corrupt system. Today, districts are drawn in ways that virtually guarantee the outcome and keep incumbents in power. Tanner notes that in 2004 only 5% of congressional incumbents lost. District lines sever neighborhoods, slash across natural boundaries and even ignore county lines — all to make districts as safe as possible for incumbents.
Wamp says the way district lines are now drawn “doesn’t pass the straight-face test,” and any lawmaker would be hard-pressed to prove him wrong. The effort to change how districts are drawn can expect to meet stiff opposition from the status quo, but it would certainly be interesting to hear those opponents defend the current process.