By James Call
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-897889.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Leading Democrats in the Florida Legislature Thursday launched fierce criticism of a Senate proposal to put a redistricting constitutional amendment on the November ballot. James Call reports they say the idea is insulting to citizens and reveals a paternalistic attitude toward minority voters.
If you look, you can see populist sentiments reverberating through the halls of the state Capitol. In the middle of a news conference to denounce a redistricting proposal, Representative Perry Thurston gave a shout out to a group of union members who had stopped to watch. Then Representative Joe Gibbons fed the crowd a red meat explanation worthy of the UMW's Jock Yablonski outside the Pennsylvania coal mines.
"Listen to me, this resolution is an insult and paternalistic. Do you hear men? Paternalistic. This joint resolution blatantly attempts to circumvent the will of the people. We cannot have this."
The Legislature's proposed constitutional amendment is in response to a citizen initiative called Fair Districts. Fair Districts is backed by the League of Women Voters and other citizens groups. It would prohibit the drawing of districts to benefit a candidate or party and require efforts to make the districts compact while respecting city and county boundaries. Senate leaders say it is confusing, contradictory, and would lead to more lawsuits than usual. They entered into the record the testimony of Congressman Mario Diaz Balart who says Fair Districts would harm minority representation.
"It may have a significant impact on the ability of the Florida Legislature, of you, to create seats in which minority communities will have the ability to elect representatives of their choice."
Congressman Diaz Balart helped create the current procedures for drawing districts when he was in the Florida Legislature. In January, he explained his concerns about fair Districts to lawmakers.
"If this initiative were to have been there in 2000, I don't think we would have been able to draw a congressional plan that included three districts where African-Americans were able to elect candidates of their choice in Congress and three districts where Hispanics were able to elect representatives of their choice. I just don't think it would be doable. So I want to make sure that's understood."
Legislative leaders say they want to preserve a method that enabled Florida to send six minorities representatives to Congress. Their solution is a joint resolution putting what they call a clarifying amendment on the ballot with the Fair Districts proposal. It would require lawmakers to meet only federal redistricting standards when drawing new districts in 2012. Fair Districts supporters say lawmakers are trying to confuse voters because Florida is already required to meet federal standards. Fair Districts opponents say no, they just want to make sure minority districts are protected. That is the line of reasoning that angers Representative Joe Gibbons, an African-American from Broward County.
"You know, we are our own daddies, we are grown, we have children, we don't need people explaining things to us, taking them down to the third grade FCAT level. We don't need that. We understand. We are professionals. Our communities have grown. Everybody talks about education and we fight for education. Why? So that we can take it back to where it was ten years ago? No. We have advanced. The country has advanced. You know, I represent a non-majority, minority district. You know, the minority participation in my district is only 27-percent."
Fair Districts appears on the November ballot as amendments five and six. The Legislature's clarifying amendment is making committee rounds. The debate will be with us through November and well into 2012.