Chris Ambrose: We Absolutely Need to Vote YES by 4/21, But the Current System, Including the Designed-to-Fail Redistricting Commission, Remain Critically Flawed

Chris Ambrose – who was one of the strongest voices in 2020 against the fatally flawed redistricting amendment then – really nails it here, in response to State Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg’s op-ed (“A ‘yes’ vote is a vote for democratic accountability”); bolding added by me for emphasis.

I appreciate Senator VanValkenburg’s Op-Ed urging a “Yes” vote on the redistricting amendment by April 21st, but remain concerned that our system remains dysfunctional at the state level and favors Republicans nationally. My response to Senator VanValkenburg:

I have always been a strong supporter of redistricting reform, but I strongly disagree with the claim that the amendment you sponsored “did what it was designed to do.”

In fact, the reason we need to vote YES by April 21st is because of the consequences of that amendment. But before discussing that let me remind you why it didn’t function as advertised.

Although it was sold as producing an independent commission to draw districts, its ties to the legislature meant it lacked true independence. As expected, the commission was dysfunctional, resulting in a deadlock and failure to create maps.

After deadlocking, the districts were drawn by competing special masters because the dysfunction was predictably so bad they couldn’t even agree on a neutral special master. This cycle will continue until this dysfunctional system is discarded and replaced with a non-partisan commission. In the unlikely event the commission ever agrees to produce maps, they will be drawn to protect incumbents.

While the process did produce reasonably fair maps for the General Assembly, it remains a critically flawed process. However, the idea that blue states should have neutral redistricting of the House of Representatives while red states rig the maps only results in what we are dealing with now: unilateral disarmament.

This problem was staring the General Assembly members in the face when they supported the amendment. It existed then and will continue to exist until gerrymandering in the House of Representative is eliminated at the national level. Trying to do it state by state is a fool’s errand that only strengthens the incentive for Republicans to gerrymander. While the problem has more intensity and visibility now because of Trump’s involvement, it’s not going away until addressed at the national level.

Just as gerrymandering of the General Assembly can’t be solved at the county level, gerrymandering of the U.S. House of Representatives cannot be solved at the state level.

The current situation presented an opportunity to restructure the commission as a non-partisan entity responsible for delineating General Assembly districts, while deferring its involvement in US House redistricting until broader national reforms are implemented. However, the General Assembly did not seize this opportunity.

Correct on all fronts; glad that somebody – in this case, Chris Ambrose – said it out loud.