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CNN
FairDistrictsFlorida on CNN!
Feb 25, 2010
Tallahassee Democrat
Lawmakers show fear of fairness
Monday Feb 15, 2010
There's nothing like a good old-fashioned power-and-turf struggle to kick off another legislative season. Some lawmakers are rattled by the possibility of two citizen-driven amendments that are meant to help take some of the political machinations out of drawing legislative and Congressional districts....
Suwanne Democrat
A fair deal
Friday Feb 5, 2010
With all due respect to state Sen. Charlie Dean, the man's ties to Suwannee County are tenuous at best. But then, a number of counties in Dean's district could say the same thing....
The Miami Herald
End the gerrymandering for good
Sunday Jan 31, 2010
To look at some of Florida's legislative and congressional districts, like this map of state Senate District 27, for instance, you might conclude that they were designed by a contortionist....
Herald Tribune
Decide who represents you
Jan 30, 2010
The best news of the year was grossly underplayed by most of the Florida press -- print, television, bloggers....
St. Petersburg Times
Editorial: Let the voters speak
Jan 30, 2010
Before the Florida Legislature spent a quarter-million in taxpayer dollars on the 2012 redistricting effort, it should have known the rules of the game. Instead, the Republican leadership retained a posse of politically connected lawyers in a selfish power play apparently aimed at thwarting reforms on the November ballot and currying favor with prominent campaign contributors....
Fair Districts Battle Ahead
Tuesday Jan 27, 2010
Orlando Sentinel
My Word: Fair Districts give vote back
Wednesday Jan 27, 2010
It took years of work by FairDistrictsFlorida.org, the League of Women Voters, other organizations and individual citizens to gather the more than 1 million signatures necessary to get two constitutional amendments on the Nov. 2 ballot aimed at stopping the gerrymandering of political districts.
...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Redistricting amendments on the ballot: Florida voters earn historic chance to vote to stop politicians from rigging districts
Friday Jan 22, 2010
Tallahassee, FL – Today, Floridians took a giant step towards ending the incumbent and political party protection plan that masquerades as legislative and Congressional redistricting. The non-partisan group FairDistrictsFlorida.org gathered more than 1,650,000 petitions signed by Florida Republicans, Democrats and Independents from the Panhandle to the Keys....
Miami Herald
A better way to elect our leaders
Jan 17, 2010
Do you know who represents you in Congress? Do you know the name of your state senator or representative?
If you answer No, don't be embarrassed. Read on. The fault may not be your own.
...
Orlando Sentinel
Fair districts? Parties unite in opposition
Jan 12, 2010
Like cats and dogs, Florida politicians from opposing parties rarely play nicely.
They scratch, claw and hiss at each other, simply because it's in their DNA....
The Gainesville Sun
Editorial: One more time?
Dec 11, 2009
There is nothing state lawmakers guard more jealously than their power to rig legislative and congressional districts to serve their own interests and their party's desire for control....
Sarasota Herald Tribune
Fair Districts for a Fair Vote
Saturday Dec 5, 2009
A big headline on the front page of the Herald-Tribune several days ago alerted readers with these words; 2 BALLOT PROPOSALS STIR FEARS.
To which my reaction was, “Great,” because fear is being stirred in exactly the right people. They should be fearful. They should also be repentant and remorseful---which of course, they are not....
Florida Today
Our views: Fairer elections - End political gerrymandering that harms democracy
Dec 1, 2009
Brevard elections supervisor Lori Scott’s office is so swamped with signed petitions she’s had to hire a temp.
That’s great news for democracy because many of the petitions concern twin constitutional amendments that would end gerrymandering of Florida legislative and congressional districts.
...
Daytona Beach News Journal
Editorial: Dividing up fairness
Nov 30, 2009
Better districts mean better representation ...
Florida Today
ON AMENDMENTS, SIGNATURES ABOUND
Nov 27, 2009
Some county elections supervisors, including Brevard County's, are being swamped with voter petitions for twin constitutional amendments that would fundamentally change Florida politics.
...
St. Petersburg Times
A chance for Floridians to redraw rigged districts
Nov 25, 2009
What are incumbent state lawmakers afraid of? Could it be … competition?...
Treasure Coast Palm
Editorial: Bring democracy to the voters of Florida through proper redistricting
Monday Aug 17, 2009
The election of Republican Joe Negron to replace the retiring Republican Ken Pruitt as state...
Naples News
Editorial: Make lines make sense
Tuesday Aug 11, 2009
This is not a Republican or Democratic issue, says the coalition seeking statewide votes next...
The Bradenton Herald
Florida's redistricting method an insult to democracy
Sunday Jul 26, 2009
Of all the monstrous disgraces of Florida politics that so often make this state the...
Bradenton Herald
Revamp Redistricting
Sunday Jun 28, 2009
When citizens demand democracy through the ballot box, politicians have no choice but to listen....
The Miami Herald
Take Back Democracy
Sunday Jun 21, 2009
It's no wonder a group of legislators last year tried to quash a state petition...
Tampa Tribune
Redistricting drive could reshape politics
Sunday Jun 7, 2009
TAMPA - To the average citizen, it sounds like the most boring subject in government...
St. Petersburg Times
Dreaming
Wednesday May 6, 2009
"I'm tired of hearing it said that democracy doesn't work. Of course it doesn't work....
OrlandoSentinel.com
What we think: Give voters a choice
Monday Apr 20, 2009
Organizers of last week's "Tea Party" protests billed them as a bid for participants to...
Orlando Sentinel
It's time to tackle dirty little secret of politics
Wednesday Mar 18, 2009
If you live in Orlando and find it annoying that your "local" representative in Congress lives 140 miles away in Jacksonville, listen up.
If you're tired of getting ballots that don't offer you any real choices, pay attention.
And most importantly, if you think voters should pick their politicians — rather than politicians hand-picking their voters — I've got good news for you....
St. Petersburg Times
Drawing the line on rigged districts
Feb 2, 2009
The Florida Supreme Court opened the door last week to greater accountability of elected officials when it approved for the ballot a citizens' initiative to change how political districts are drawn. Now supporters and Florida voters need to make sure this important reform comes to pass....
Tallahassee Democrat
Redistricting with fairness just might have a chance
Feb 1, 2009
The Supremes have done something quite brave, giving the go-forward nod to an organization that wants to help take the politics out of redistricting our legislative and Congressional seats.
This occurred on Thursday, when Florida Supreme Court justices ruled favorably on two proposed constitutional amendments aimed at preventing — though probably not bringing to a dead stop — gerrymandering.
Gerrymandering isn't anything new......
Sun-Sentinel
Florida Supreme Court OKs ballot questions to alter method for redistricting
Jan 30, 2009
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for a 2010 ballot amendment designed to end political gamesmanship in drawing district boundaries, in what could be the first step to reshuffling the state's Republican-dominated political landscape.
The court ruled that two proposed ballot questions, dealing with state legislative and congressional district boundaries, satisfy the requirement that constitutional amendments address only a single subject, a legal standard that tripped up past bids to change Florida's redistricting system
...
TBO.com
Redistricting Proposals OK'd
Thursday Jan 30, 2009
TALLAHASSEE - Two proposals designed to prevent political favoritism in redistricting, a practice known as gerrymandering, can go on the 2010 ballot if sponsors collect enough signatures, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday....
AP
Florida Redistricting Amendments
Jan 29, 2009
Tallahassee, Fla:
The Florida Supreme Court has given the green light for two amendments to go on the ballot that would change the way districts are drawn for state lawmakers and members of Congress.
...
MSNBC
Bloomberg on Re-Districting
Sunday Sep 21, 2008
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Bay News 9
TV Segment
Jul 29, 2008
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The Tampa Tribune
Erase Political Favoritism From Legislative Redistricting
Thursday Jul 24, 2008
But it is critical to remove selfish political motives from the process, which is the main goal of FairDistrictsFlorida, so voters can have more competitive races and a stronger say in government....
St. Petersburg Times
Voters, not maps, must rule
Tuesday Jul 8, 2008
The petition that Fair Districts is distributing would require that districts be contiguous and compact and "not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party." ...
Orlando Sentinel
We think: An effort to reduce predictability in political districts deserves support
Jun 29, 2008
Looking at the list of candidates for the 140 state legislative races on this year's...
The Washington Post
Gerrymandering Distorts Our Elections
Jun 26, 2008
Gerrymandered, one-party districts tend to send highly partisan representatives to the House or the legislature, contributing to the gridlock in government that is so distasteful to voters.
...
Tallahassee Democrat
Editorial: Gerrymandering discourages good citizenship
Jun 24, 2008
A proposed amendment to the state constitution would change those rules by creating different redistricting standards to prevent gerrymandering. ...
The Florida Times-Union
Redistricting: Making It Fair
May 8, 2008
Fortunately, a group called Fair Districts Florida is seeking a constitutional ban on gerrymandering.
...
The Washington Post
Political Entrenchment
Friday Mar 7, 2008
We have long warned about the pernicious consequences of entrenched incumbency and gerrymandered congressional districts. Such districts, as the president noted, produce a Congress more ideologically polarized than the electorate it represents. ...
The Miami Herald
Budget cuts, infighting mar session prospects
Sunday Mar 2, 2008
Statewide, the House has lost nine Republican seats in the past two years, but it...
Tribune Tallahassee Bureau
Redistricting reform gains steam toward the 2010 ballot
Wednesday Nov 28, 2007
As of last week, 47,000 people had signed petitions to place two Constitutional amendment proposals...
The Washington Post
A Chance for Common Sense
Saturday Nov 10, 2007
THERE'S a certain beauty to divided government. All sides are kept in check, consultation becomes...
St. Petersburg Times
"Proposal would reshape districts"
Thursday Sep 27, 2007
Does it make sense for Florida to have contorted congressional districts that wind through half...
