Letters to the Editor

Letter: Non-partisanship, fairness hurt by political redistricting boards

Thank you for your editorial regarding redistricting. Whether the fix is a constitutional amendment specifying that no more than three members of the Redistricting Board can be of the same party or some other strategy, such as an independent board, we must find a way to solve this decennial problem. Gerrymandering is rampant in the U.S. and, by creating "safe" seats, deprives voters of real choices, stifles debate and stunts bi-partisanship.

As a longtime member of the League of Women Voters, I want to direct readers' attention to the publication, "Shining a Light," (http://www.lwv.org/content/shining-light-redistricting-lessons-learned-2011). On redistricting, the LWV advocates "improved transparency and opportunities for public participation, identifying areas for improving or protecting minority voting rights and, at a minimum, ensuring compliance with the Voting Rights Act, and advocating on behalf of fairer and more competitive overall redistricting plans."

The bedrock of fair and representative government is fair election districts. Unfair redistricting supports hyper-partisan legislatures.

Please continue to advocate for fair redistricting.

— Margo Waring

Juneau

ADVERTISEMENT