Voters Approve Major Changes To Redistricting And Other Voting Laws

[NorCen_CT]

Source: NPR

Michigan also passed a law significantly changing the way the state's political lines are drawn for congressional and state legislative districts. The amendment will take the power to draw those lines out of the hands of state lawmakers, as the Detroit Free Press explains, and put it into the hands of an independent redistricting commission made up of four Republicans, four Democrats and five people who identify with neither party.

Another effort meant to change the redistricting process, this Missouri amendment passed with more than 60 percent of the vote. The "Clean Missouri" proposal will eliminate the current system of drawing state legislative districts using a bipartisan committee. Instead, a new, nonpartisan state demographer will propose maps that a bipartisan commission will then vote on.

This Utah proposal, which is currently tied 50 percent to 50 percent with 73 percent of ballots reporting, would create an independent commission appointed by the governor and legislative commission to draw Utah's congressional and legislative boundaries after the census every 10 years.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2018/11/07/664993438/voters-approve-major-changes-to-redistricting-and-other-voting-laws

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Hopefully Michigan, Missouri (potentially Utah), and Pennsylvania before them will be the first of many states to start redistricting/un-gerrymandering the house map moving forward.

[muntrv]

1. That would be a way to increase democratic turnout in 2020, putting this on the ballot.

[workinclasszero]

2. These laws are very important for the future

I think they are flying under the radar at the moment but these are progressive laws passed even in a redstate like Missouri.

[NorCen_CT]

3. And it EASILY passed in Missouri (currently up 62% - 38%)!

If we can get this on the ballot in 2020 in Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Louisiana, and yes, Maryland - amongst other states, the popular vote in midterm elections would more closely match the results nationwide.

In the 2010 election, the GOP picked up 63 seats, winning the popular vote by 7.2%

In the 2018 election, we'll pick up between 29 and 45 seats (most likely somewhere around 35-40), and are winning the popular vote by 9.2% (and that number will surely creep up towards 10%)!

[workinclasszero]

4. IKR?

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that Clean Missouri and LEGAL (med) MJ passed in redstate Missouri!

Yes these popular laws need to be passed nationwide to dismantle the GOP gerrymandring so dems have a level playing field with the Trump cult.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. The GOP here in PA have been balking at any of this

despite there being several bills to start getting something set up. I believe the issue would require a change to the state Constitution, which involves a somewhat prolonged process.

There is an organization - Fair Districts PA spearheading efforts to get this process going but it will be a slog.

[Sunlei]

6. noticed your comment-Recently Pennsylvania courts did make them change maps.

Recently meaning after the trump GE. Republican group tried to appeal last month, courts said no and new maps must stay through 2020 General election. This state district gerrymandering problem is something Obama said he was working on first as a 'private citizen'.

Made a difference in this election!

I still think USA has some kind of 'problem' with disenfranchising voters.

Also, maybe someone using public voting records to somehow fraud vote. That's my opinion currently.

[Lanius]

7. The political and business classes have been disenfranchising voters since this country's founding.

IMO the only way to do this is to take redistricting out of state lawmakers' hands. The GOP is fighting this, obviously, because they know their power will be greatly diminished with fair elections.

[Sunlei]

9. not to the current level of 'disenfranchising' using "public" voter info & computer mapping.

In my opinion "someone" also uses the public information to fraud vote also.

It's also public information who never votes & who isn't listed as a registered voter.

To easy for "anyone" to use those public records- fill out registration cards on people.

Or even fill out new registration cards for people who aren't registered at all.

[SKKY]

8. Apart from the wave of women elected to office, this is easily the biggest story of the midterms...

...I have no idea why the media isn't spending more time covering it. This has huge ramifications.

[Sunlei]

10. media does cover-but it's buried by the millions of click bait junk stories

stories designed for many who have a tiny cell phone screen pasted to their eyes.

[SKKY]

11. Do they? I genuinely haven't heard one story about it...

...which, given the importance going forward, kinda surprises me.

[Sunlei]

12. Obama said, soon as he left office he would "work" on gerrymandered state districts..

And he has been dragging cases through the federal courts- Pa. district maps were recently court ordered changed to a more fair map. The new map made a difference in these midterms.

A PAC has been started too, where every D is mailed several times to remind of voting history (that's public information)


All this has been 'in the news' but you have to seek the news from the source. Media(TV radio) just doesn't have enough hours in the day to report on everything.

Or some media, like republican TV fox- may not want to report on these facts.

[Sunlei]

13. and to be more specific about the "PAC" for Ds- here's their link & news.

New from Chicago, Progressive Turn-out PAC

"Connecting with Voters and Getting Democrats to the Polls"

https://www.turnoutpac.org/


https://www.turnoutpac.org/press/

Progressive Turnout Project Congratulates Kim Schrier on Victory in Washington

Progressive Turnout Project Congratulates Lucy McBath on Victory in Georgia

Progressive Turnout Project Congratulates Xochitl Torres Small on Victory in New Mexico

Progressive Turnout Project Congratulates Andy Kim on Victory in New Jersey

Progressive Turnout Project Congratulates Katie Hill on Victory in California

Progressive Turnout Project Congratulates Jon Tester on Victory in Montana

Progressive Turnout Project Congratulates Susan Wild on Victory in Pennsylvania

add about 400 more press releases.


This PAC snail mailed me(Texas) 4 times before the midterm using public voter records and called twice just to make sure I knew when & where to vote.

[muffinsforbreakfast]

14. Utah-Same old same old

The Utah proposal would "create an independent commission appointed by the governor and legislative commission." It would be independent in name only. If the governor and legislature were dominated by one party, they would be free to draw just as Gerry-mandered a map. How would this be any different?