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Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
.EDITORIAL: Fair and well in advance
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Letters to the Editor
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Date: July 07, 2011 01:05PM
EDITORIAL: Fair and well in advance
Wednesday, Jul. 6 by Staff
http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/editorial_fair_and_well_in_advance123/
Redistricting (or reapportionment for those finding it difficult to leave the 19th century behind you) seems like such a good idea.
Every 10 years, the boundaries for our representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia General Assembly, Loudoun Board of Supervisors and School Board are adjusted for the shifting population. One person gets one vote and a relatively equal representation in the government.
If redistricting is such a good idea, then why is no one ever happy with the result?
This year, the Democrat-crafted plan for the Virginia Senate was vetoed by Gov. Bob McDonnell and the Republican-crafted plan made the minority leader’s district disappear.
In Loudoun, redistricting cut some eastern communities in half with the goal of keeping two western districts intact. Supervisor Stevens Miller (D-Dulles), who proposed the plan, voted against it by the time it came for a vote.
Redistricting is a partisan exercise with the party in control making the final decision and guiding the process. The minority party always cries foul. And before you reply that “To the winner goes the spoils,” please note that the minority party changes with some regularity.
That’s the reason that on the campaign trail, nearly every candidate calls for a bipartisan commission to manage the redistricting process. It’s one of the few things that McDonnell and former Gov. Tim Kaine can agree on.
So why was the bipartisan commission’s recommendations summarily rejected by the General Assembly? It’s because no one wants to be the first one to play fair. When the stakes are high, the temptation is always to play by the same unfair rules that have worked in the past. The other party did it before us.
Ethics give way to pragmatism. It’s a result even more depressing when one considers that the lessons learned from the 2010 census will likely be forgotten by the 2020 census.
If a bipartisan redistricting process is ever going to happen, then it’s time to make it law. The time is now, when no one knows who a bipartisan approach will benefit.
Instead of being fair first – both political parties will agree to a fair process no matter who has control of the relative bodies. With the lessons of the most recent redistricting behind us, this coming year is the time for our elected representatives to make bipartisan redistricting part of the process instead of simply an ingnored exception.
Wednesday, Jul. 6 by Staff
http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/editorial_fair_and_well_in_advance123/
Redistricting (or reapportionment for those finding it difficult to leave the 19th century behind you) seems like such a good idea.
Every 10 years, the boundaries for our representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia General Assembly, Loudoun Board of Supervisors and School Board are adjusted for the shifting population. One person gets one vote and a relatively equal representation in the government.
If redistricting is such a good idea, then why is no one ever happy with the result?
This year, the Democrat-crafted plan for the Virginia Senate was vetoed by Gov. Bob McDonnell and the Republican-crafted plan made the minority leader’s district disappear.
In Loudoun, redistricting cut some eastern communities in half with the goal of keeping two western districts intact. Supervisor Stevens Miller (D-Dulles), who proposed the plan, voted against it by the time it came for a vote.
Redistricting is a partisan exercise with the party in control making the final decision and guiding the process. The minority party always cries foul. And before you reply that “To the winner goes the spoils,” please note that the minority party changes with some regularity.
That’s the reason that on the campaign trail, nearly every candidate calls for a bipartisan commission to manage the redistricting process. It’s one of the few things that McDonnell and former Gov. Tim Kaine can agree on.
So why was the bipartisan commission’s recommendations summarily rejected by the General Assembly? It’s because no one wants to be the first one to play fair. When the stakes are high, the temptation is always to play by the same unfair rules that have worked in the past. The other party did it before us.
Ethics give way to pragmatism. It’s a result even more depressing when one considers that the lessons learned from the 2010 census will likely be forgotten by the 2020 census.
If a bipartisan redistricting process is ever going to happen, then it’s time to make it law. The time is now, when no one knows who a bipartisan approach will benefit.
Instead of being fair first – both political parties will agree to a fair process no matter who has control of the relative bodies. With the lessons of the most recent redistricting behind us, this coming year is the time for our elected representatives to make bipartisan redistricting part of the process instead of simply an ingnored exception.