Fights over drawing new political districts are heating up in several states. In Nevada, the redistricting process was described in a local newspaper editorial as a “train wreck.”
First, Republican Governor Brian Sandoval vetoed the majority-Democrat legislature's maps. Since the legislature and governor failed to agree on a map, the redistricting issue wound up in court.
When the case came before state district court Judge Todd Russell, he didn't immediately rule on the many thorny legal issues underlying the conflict, such as whether one of the four congressional districts should be drawn as a Latino-majority district.
Instead, Russell appointed three citizens as “Special Masters” who will propose their own maps to the court by Oct. 21. On Monday, the group held a public hearing in Las Vegas. They heard testimony from the political parties that are litigants in the court case, as well as comments from the public. A second hearing was held Tuesday in Carson City.
At the Las Vegas hearing, expert witnesses hired by the political parties debated whether a Latino-majority district would be legal. Latino community members were divided, offering perspectives across the spectrum.
A few Latino activists said they disagreed with the proposals of both political parties.
“Although I can say that the Democratic map is more acceptable than the Republican map, that does not translate to an endorsement of their map,” said Fernando Romero, who heads the local organization, Hispanics in Politics. Instead, he suggested that the Special Masters take into account maps drawn by Latino community activists.
“These maps were created by Latinos, those of us who actually know the communities of interest because we are blood members of the community of interest,” Romero said.
This round of meetings was the public's only chance to interact with the group.
“We three are members of the general voting public. And we have been afforded an extraordinary opportunity to meaningfully contribute to our states electoral process,” Special Master Thomas Sheets told the 50 or so people who attended the Las Vegas hearing. “We intend to act in a non-partisan fashion, and we do not take are overall responsibility lightly.”
But there is a legal controversy brewing as to whether these Special Masters should have the responsibility of drafting the maps. The Nevada Supreme Court will weigh in on that question later this fall.
Every 10 years, states redraw electoral boundaries following the release of census data. Nevada is not the only state facing redistricting woes.
New Mexico's governor vetoed the legislature's redistricting proposal last week. In Arizona, redistricting commission proposals have been criticized by state Republican leaders.
Arizonans will have a chance to give feedback on the commission's maps at a series of hearings that begin Tuesday.
