Greg Snowden & Reapportionment
Rep. Snowden said publicly what a number of Republicans have talked about privately — that the Senate may try and prevent the Democrats in the House from using reapportionment to undermine the re-election chances of certain GOP incumbents. If this happens, then you can count on the House reciprocating (and then all bets are off). Mutually assured destruction then becomes a very real possibility.
Second, he suggested that the Legislature would not get the districts approved before the 2011 legislative elections; if that happens, legislators will run in the current districts and will not campaign in any new districts until the 2015 elections, unless a court requires it. Legislators have said privately that the only way to provide for a quick drawing of the lines is for both the Senate and the House leadership to approve district lines that make only minimally necessary changes (to conform to one person, one vote). If Lt. Gov. Bryant tries to substantially redraw district lines of Senate Democrats or if Speaker McCoy tries to do likewise to GOP House members, then the 2011 elections will be held in the current districts.
Third, he made clear that a major issue for Republicans will be to prevent the use of split precincts in the drawing of district lines. In 2000, the House particularly, but also the Senate, split precincts — in hundreds of cases — mostly between two districts, but in some cases between three and even four districts, in the drawing of boundary lines.
While all of this has been discussed privately among legislators and others interested in the topic, this is the first time I know that someone has raised them all in a public way.
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