Voting record undermines Dems credibility on redistricting, GOP claims

We told you on Tuesday that Republicans were targeting Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith for taking a different position on redistricting as a party boss than when he was helping draw district boundaries in the state Senate.

Today, the Florida Republican Party of Florida issued another press release showing that four Democrats joined Smith in voting for the 2002 plan and "to support current legislative lines they now criticize." To be fair, all four Democrats — Skip Campbell, Steve Geller, Al Lawson, and Tom Rossin — are out of office and we haven't heard any of the four publicly criticize the current process. But that's beside the point, Republicans say.

"Florida Democrats have proven they have no credibility when they criticize the redistricting process,” RPOF spokesman Brian Hughes said. "Republicans in Florida have offered a bipartisan process for redistricting; one that respects the law and will include a diversity of representation that reflects the population of our great state."

FDP spokeswoman Brannon Jordan had a slightly different take:

"While dwelling in the basement with their party’s rock-bottom approval numbers, the Republican Party of Florida’s research team seems to have dredged up irrelevant 10-year old voting records," she said.

"Instead of working to provide Floridians the transparency they demanded, the GOP is dragging their feet and proving to be synonymous with the very backroom redistricting dealings Floridians voted to end," Jordan said. "It’s time to stop playing these political games and show the public the maps."

Comments

[ALLEN ROBBINS]

ARE THE REPUBLICANS REDEFINING THE WORD COMPACTNESS?

At tuesdays FAU hearings I did raise the question about Geospatial formulas to be used to measure the compactness. Yes there are tools in other District Builder Software programs that rate compactness.

We know that “No mathematical formula is likely to adequately correct for all of the geographical and social variability that can result in irregular district shapes.” However, when the authors wrote Amendments 5 & 6 they implicitly implied that the processes include a geometric measure of compactness as part of the process.

Both the Senate and the House versions have failed to include any of these components because many believe that to do so would add an anti-gerrymandering element. This would make it far more difficult for any party in power to pick and choose the voters they want to stay in power.

The people of Florida (3,150,000 plus people – 63%) have given a mandate to the politicians to make this happen. I also believe it will be the Florida Supreme Court and the DOJ who will draw the maps and have the final say.

Make no mistake people of Florida are fed up with the partisan politics from all sides, and now is the time to end the games.

[Don]

Nothing more non-partisan than the Obama DOJ and the unrepresentative Florida Supreme Court! I'm sure that's what "the people" wanted.