CA Proposition 11: Redistricting, Initiative Constitutional Amendment & Statute.

[Sandman]

REDISTRICTING.
INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT AND STATUTE.



Changes authority for establishing Assembly, Senate, and Board of Equalization district boundaries from elected representatives to 14 member commission.
Requires government auditors to select 60 registered voters from applicant pool. Permits legislative leaders to reduce pool, then the auditors pick eight commission members by lottery, and those commissioners pick six additional members for 14 total.
Requires commission of five Democrats, five Republicans and four of neither party. Commission shall hire lawyers and consultants as needed.
For approval, district boundaries need votes from three Democratic commissioners, three Republican commissioners and three commissioners from neither party.

Summary of Legislative Analyst’s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact:



Potential increase in state redistricting costs once every ten years due to two entities performing redistricting. Any increase in costs probably would not be significant.

http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/title-sum/prop11-title-sum.htm

[citizen]

I need to do more research on this, or I just wont vote at all on it. I don't know much about this one, to be honest.

[David_V]

It has good intentions but my friends that are more into politics are voting no. They say it still can lead to gerrymandering.

[Red Mule]

I'm not sure on this one, but I voted yes.

I know that in many states, Texas is a good example, when one party gets sufficient control of the State government they can go wild with gerrymandering. The minority party has no chance and the gerrymandering leads to more control for the majority party. In fact, as I remember the Texas story, a bunch of Democratic representatives had to hide in Oklahoma to avoid providing a quorum and the Republican leaders tried to get the Texas Rangers to force their return.

I assumed here that an equal mix of the parties along with a 14 member commission and 60 randomly selected registered voters would lead to less potential of gerrymandering. But, I could certainly be wrong. The devil is always in the details.