Governor Ron DeSantis’ redrawn congressional maps that could give Republicans four more seats in Congress cleared committees Tuesday, clearing way for them to be approved as early as Wednesday.
Jason Poreda, a member of DeSantis’ staff who drew the maps, told the Senate committee he ignored requirements in Florida’s Fair Districts amendment.
He also said he took party registration into account.
“I used partisan data in the same way that I applied any of the other traditional redistricting principles. I did not use it on the exclusion of any of the other principles I can pack those for following geographic boundaries. It was just another something else that was a consideration as I was drawing” he said.
Florida’s constitution prohibits drawing maps to benefit one political party, but DeSantis’ attorneys argue that a pending supreme court case could make a part of the fair districts amendment illegal, potentially making other sections of it unenforceable.
Democrats have widely opposed drawing new maps, arguing its DeSantis following other state that have redistricting to benefit their majority party’s side in the midterm elections.
And one Republican, Fleming Island Senator Jennifer Bradley, didn’t buy the arguments from DeSantis’ staff.
“I would love for that decision to come out for the governor, to get an advisory opinion on the effect of the fair district's amendment. And then let's do this. I just, I can't do it. It's just unconstitutional,” she said.
As Florida lawmakers met, protestors gathered outside the Capitol. The argued say the process is partisan and violates the state constitution.
One of them was Jennie Pawlowsky, who traveled from Orlando to participate in the protest.
“I just feel like we're getting to the point in politics where cheating and stealing and lying and and all those kind of things are happening, and it's disturbing,” she said.
But protest organizer Genesis Robinson, with the group Equal Ground, said he thinks the reason is politically based. In other states it has been.
“It was Donald Trump who called for Republican states to redraw their maps mid-decade, in an unprecedented fashion, to give them a chance to hold on to power. That is what this is about, for them,” he said.
Republicans are expected to gain four seats in Florida under the DeSantis’ proposed maps.