Stand up for Arizona's voter-approved Independent Redistricting Process!

The fight continues to protect Arizona's voter-approved independent redistricting process from being taken over by politicians. The state Senate advanced SCR 1034, the measure that would put more power to manipulate voting maps into the hands of partisan leaders at the State Capitol, by a party-line vote of 17-13 last week. 

The lengthy Senate debate was really something to see, and you can watch it here. 

Sadly, the process continues to be hyper-partisan, unbefitting of a debate on how to draw the fundamental building blocks of democracy. 

For example, President Yarbrough pushed an important floor amendment. As Sen. Martin Quezada pointed out on Twitter, Yarbrough had kept his amendment language secret for over a week, only sharing it with his Democratic colleagues a few hours before the vote. 

When Sen. Katie Hobbs asked President Yarbrough why he'd kept his amendment secret for so long, he replied "my efforts to be bipartisan are perhaps not well-developed."

Keeping these kind of partisan motives and behaviors out of the critical redistricting process is precisely why Arizona voters created the Independent Redistricting Commission in the first place. Our system is known across the nation as a model for independence, bipartisanship, and most importantly, fairness.

A fair process that creates fair maps means every Arizonan has a voice. When politicians get control of the process, fairness is the first thing that goes out the window. 

- Morgan Dick, Arizona Advocacy Network
http://www.azadvocacy.org/

Stand up for Arizona's voter-approved independent redistricting process, by contacting your Arizona legislators. Tell them to OPPOSE SCR 1034.

How to find your Arizona Legislators

• To find out who your Representative is, find your district: https://azredistricting.org/districtlocator/
• Use that district to find your rep.: https://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster/

Hyperpartisan gerrymandering is going before the Supreme Court TODAY. Call you senators

The Republicans have successfully installed a system in states across America that almost guarantees them a majority of legislative seats with a minority of votes.

That system is hyperpartisan gerrymandering -- and today it’s going before the Supreme Court in the case Gill v. Whitford, which may ultimately decide if this illegitimate form of politicians selecting voters is constitutional or not.

That’s why we must enact a 21st Century Voting Rights Act to address hyperpartisan gerrymandering and other abuses of our electoral system. 

Sign the petition supporting this vital law.

Will you call your senator today at (202) 224-3121 and ask him or her whether he or she supports federal legislation to restrict hyperpartisan gerrymandering? 

The idea of drawing district lines to benefit one party or the other is not new; however, a confluence of specific events over the past decade has made gerrymandering a lethal science to our democratic legitimacy.

1. Citizens United unleashed record amounts of dark money into our elections -- which Republicans used in 2010 to target strategic local races that would enable them to control redistricting before Democrats had adapted to the new reality.
2. The Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court decision that gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act in 2013 has allowed states like North Carolina, Texas, and others to implement racially motivated and hyperpartisan gerrymandering with less federal scrutiny.
3. Between 2000 and 2010, computers became so sophisticated they could tailor-draw maps that all but guarantee which party will win which district.

I’ve called for provisions ending hyperpartisan gerrymandering to be included in the 21st Century Voting Rights Act, and supplemented by state legislation if necessary. But right now, no one is demanding this law -- except thousands of us, already standing up and speaking as one.

Call your senator today at (202) 224-3121 and ask him or her to support a 21st Century Voting Rights Act.

It’s up to us to get our representatives in Congress behind this important set of voter protections. As the Gill v. Whitfordcase unfolds before the Supreme Court today, remember: there is something you and your fellow voters can do. Your voice is valuable in this fight.

- Russ Feingold, LegitAction