Editorial: Bring democracy to the voters of Florida through proper redistricting

Editorial Board
Treasure Coast Palm
Monday Aug 17, 2009

The election of Republican Joe Negron to replace the retiring Republican Ken Pruitt as state senator in District 28 on the Treasure Coast was largely a foregone conclusion, even had Democratic opponent Bill Ramos not shot himself in the foot by misrepresenting his criminal background.

District 28 has been considered a “safe” district for Republicans since the Republican-led Legislature took over the task of redrawing district lines. Since 2006, however, Republican registration in the district, which had an 11 percent lead over Democrats, has shrunk to a 5 percent advantage.

As the district is not quite as “safe” for Republicans as it once was, it seems likely when Florida lawmakers redraw districts again following the 2010 U.S. Census, as required by law, the GOP-dominated Legislature will make it safer again.

Negron won fair and square in the special election. Whether he should be re-elected will be up to voters. Or that’s what democracy would assume. But, the average voter may have little choice.

Democracy has been turned on its head in Florida.

Does it not seem strange that while Democrats outnumber Republicans in Florida voter registrations that the GOP has an overwhelming majority in the state House and Senate? That’s in large part due to legislative control over where district lines are drawn. With Republicans in charge of the Legislature, they draw lines to protect themselves and, to muffle complaints from the minority Democrats, also draw lines to protect Democratic incumbents. When Democrats were in charge, the same thing occurred.

The result is that contests for the Florida Legislature are among the least competitive in the nation. In 2004, not a single state legislator or member of Congress from Florida was defeated. In 2006, only two legislators and one member of Congress were defeated.

As some have noted, Florida voters don’t choose their lawmakers. The lawmakers, through redistricting, choose their voters and deep pockets from which to fund campaigns.

The goal of redistricting is to create districts of somewhat uniform size so all citizens are represented somewhat equally and that candidates can have a fair shot at election.

But, the process has become a power-grabbing circus.

There is a better way. Some bipartisan and nonpartisan efforts hope to make changes before redistricting in 2011. Leading the effort is the nonpartisan Fair Districts Florida, which proposed two constitutional amendments. One would ban lines from being drawn to protect any particular political party or incumbent. The other would follow geographic lines, so people on the same street don’t get put in seemingly random political districts. Members of the organization hope to gather about 677,000 signatures by next month to put the amendments on the ballot in November 2010.

This should not be a partisan issue. Republicans and Democrats have played this game, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. But, it is the voters who are ultimately the losers, and when voters lose, democracy loses.

Florida elections have been a national laughingstock enough. By signing petitions and voting in favor of the amendments next year, voters can alleviate at least one of the causes.

© 2009 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers