What is redistricting?

Every ten years, after the census, the boundaries of our Congressional, state house and state senate districts are redrawn. This was originally intended to be sure that districts are roughly equal in population -- to make sure that every vote counts equally. But the process has been hijacked by self-interested politicians.

Who makes the districting decisions?

The Florida Legislature. When the legislature passes a Congressional or legislative redistricting plan, it's just like other legislation. All representatives and senators vote on the plan. The party that controls the legislature controls redistricting. The plan that gets the majority vote becomes the legislature's plan. No matter which party has control of the legislature, that party's main goal is to protect its majority in as many districts as possible while concentrating the strength of the other party into as few districts as possible. This is called partisan political gerrymandering. It is like allowing the fox to guard the henhouse or getting to choose your own cards in a poker game!

How do they Gerrymander districts?

Our present system permits politicians to choose their voters instead of voters having a fair chance to choose their representatives. Legislators use sophisticated computers, voter registration data and past election returns to predict how particular voters will vote in the future. Then they choose which voters are most likely to vote for them and their party and place just enough of those voters in "safe" districts -- ones they are sure they can win. Those in charge also pack large numbers of unfavorable voters in into a few districts so the unfriendly voters will have a chance to win in fewer districts.

Each district is rigged to accomplish a particular result. Districts are set up to be either Democratic or Republican and opposing party candidates do not have a chance. Only 7% of Florida’s legislative elections are really competitive. Voters do not have a real choice in selecting their representatives because the elections are rigged before they even start.

Another result is that there are rarely serious challenges to incumbents. In the last 6 years, there have been 420 elections for State Senator and State Representative. Only three incumbents have been defeated! After all, their districts are specially designed for them! With virtually certain seats, legislators have no incentive to be responsive to their constituents and they see no reason to compromise for the public good.

Here is what has happened to Florida's Congressional districts as a result of these tactics:

Districts are bizarrely shaped. There is no effort to make sure that cities and counties are kept together in districts. That is why communities are often split among several representatives and districts often cover multiple counties and communities. To end this practice, The Florida League of Mayors, the Florida League of Cities and the Florida Black Caucus of Local Black Elected Officials have all endorsed the FairDistricts Amendments.

This manipulation of the process damages the very spirit of fair, democratic elections. Consultant David Winston, who drew districts in the last redistricting, says, "As a mapmaker, I can have more of an impact on an election than a campaign, ... than a candidate, ... than the voters. ...Something is out of whack!"
I want to help stop the unfair political gerrymandering!

How do the legislators get away with rigging their districts?

Now our constitution contains no standards to prevent politicians from putting partisan politics ahead of Florida voters. Presently, the law only requires that districts be roughly equal in population and that they consist of contiguous territory. That means that all parts of the district must touch. But the legislators even stretch that rule to the max. A connecting strip a yard wide and miles long satisfies that requirement. An example is Senate District 27 which is considered "contiguous". Sometimes contiguity is accomplished by crossing bodies of water -- like Congressional District 11 which covers parts of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties.

What can we do to stop the politicians from drawing districts to perpetuate their own power??

The FairDistrictsFlorida.org amendments will stop this legalized conflict of interest. They will establish clear fairness standards that will end the self-interested gerrymandering. The standards will be in the constitution and the legislators will really have to follow them.

I want to contribute to stop the unfair power grab!

How will the new rules make a difference?

The new rules or standards proposed by FairDistrictsFlorida.org will prohibit drawing districts to favor an incumbent or a party. The standards will require that districts be compact and community based. Communities -- like Seminole County -- will not be divided among multiple representatives. And Florida will have strongest constitutional language in the country to ensure that redistricting is not used to reduce the representation of racial and language minority voters.

What will happen if we do not establish standards?

Legislators will continue to perpetuate their own power through political gerrymandering. So while Florida is a politically balanced state, its Congressional and legislative representation will not be! Presently Democrats and Republicans are registered to vote in Florida in roughly equal numbers with independents making up 22% of the voters. Yet one major party holds almost two-thirds of the Congressional and legislative seats. There are no independents in the Florida Legislature or in our Congressional delegation. This is because the party that controlled both houses of the legislature at the last redistricting in 2002, drew the boundaries to create "safe" "can't lose" districts. Whichever party was in charge would have done the same thing. No matter which party controls the legislature in the 2012 redistricting, the political playing field will remain unbalanced -- unless we change the rules to make it unconstitutional for them to conduct business as usual.

I want to help change the rules!

How can we make the legislators follow the standards?

The procedure for redistricting is set forth in the Florida Constitution. In order to stop the legislators from this self interested power grab, we must amend the constitution by voting to pass Amendments 5 and 6 on November 2! We need your help to get the word out. Tell everyone you know about how we can bring real fairness to elections in Florida.

Vote YES on Amendments 5 and 6!