Courts treated symptom; now let’s cure disease

We’ve treated a symptom, but we still need a cure.

The region’s voters will go to the polls May 15 and nominate candidates for new congressional districts.

This is a result of a lawsuit filed against the map that was drawn up by Republicans in control of the state Legislature back in 2011, based on the 2010 census.

The court ruled the old maps were a perfect example of an unconstitutional gerrymander that tilted the playing field toward Republicans, in particular GOP incumbents.

Eventually the state Supreme Court drew up their own map. Yes, it was messy timing, with all sides rushing to have something in place in time for the primary.

They even had to extend the time for candidates to gather signatures on their nominating petitions.

And yes, you can make the argument – as Republicans have been doing – that the state high court had engaged in an extraordinary act of judicial activism, usurping a role the constitution designates as the job of the Legislature.

But this week two different courts rejected appeals from Republican congressmen as well as GOP leaders in the Legislature.

The new map stands and will be in place for the primary. Just one problem. They haven’t cured the disease.

So long as politicians have their hands in the redistricting process, you can expect this messy process to be repeated.

Redistricting of the congressional and legislative districts is done every 10 years based on the results of the latest census.

That means the next round of redistricting will pop up after the 2020 census.

Gerrymandering – the art of bending and twisting the shape of districts to favor one political faction – is an equal opportunity sport.

Should Democrats reverse the recent trend and suddenly take control of the state House and Senate, don’t think for a moment they would not engage in the same kind of political shenanigans that just landed the Republicans and their maps in court.

The answer seems pretty obvious. If we’re ever going to get politics out of the redistricting process, then it is essential to get it out of the hands of politicians.

Luckily, there is a movement in Harrisburg to do just that. Unluckily – at least for those who believe the current process is inherently flawed – it seems to be going nowhere fast.

And the clock is ticking toward that 2020 census.

There is legislation that would create an independent, bipartisan commission to take over the job of redrawing the state’s congressional district maps. It would be made up of people without a political ax to grind in this process, people like statisticians, serious map makers and those who have delved deeply into the state’s demographics.

It would ensure a fair process and an even fairer underlying theme – that voters should select their representatives, not the other way around, with officials in effect bending the boundaries of districts in ways that would benefit members of their own party.

Here’s a bit of hardly surprising news. The legislation to get this process out of the hands of politicians is currently under the thumb of politicians.

That’s right, they aren’t thrilled with the prospect of giving up this political plum. And who can blame them? There is a lot at stake in having the power to redraw these districts.

Unfortunately, fairness and insuring the validity of citizens’ votes is not always at the top of that list.

This is not a small change. As expected, enacting it is a rather involved process. The measure needs to be approved by both the House and Senate in consecutive sessions in order to put the matter before the voters in a referendum.

That means time is of the essence when it comes to curing this political malady.

Want to fix this redistricting process once and for all? Let the voters decide.

Contact your state representative or state senator. Tell them you want action to preserve the backbone of our democracy, the principle that every vote matters.

It wasn’t easy, but the courts eradicated the last – and perhaps most egregious – example of gerrymandering.

Now let’s cure the disease once and for all.