Deal doesn't erase problems

Deseret Morning News editorial
Published: Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006 7:04 p.m. MST
E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Some voices would have you believe that the way state lawmakers drew a fourth congressional district, culminating in Monday's special legislative session, proves the current system works.

Either they think you're naive, or they don't understand the situation.

The adopted plan, "Plan L," does something no previous GOP-led plan has done. It would have created one heavily Democratic district virtually guaranteed to re-elected Rep. Jim Matheson. In the past, Republicans have tried hard to draw Matheson out of a seat by giving him as many Republican voters as possible.

But this magnanimous gesture was made only to preserve the compromise that might have resulted in granting Utah a fourth seat before the 2010 Census, something that no longer seems likely. That compromise would have given Washington, D.C., its first full-fledged congressional seat, which surely would go to a Democrat. Utah would have most likely picked up one more Republican seat. But if the boundaries were drawn so that it looked likely Utah would get two more Republican seats, the deal would have been off.

Take away the compromise and we doubt the ruling party would be as magnanimous. In fact, there is nothing to keep the Republican majority from redrawing districts quite differently after the 2010 Census.

Story continues below
Some voices also would have you believe politicians are best at redrawing districts because they know their neighborhoods well and have their constituents' interests at heart. Monday's session demonstrated again why this is fantasy. Even with a fairly air-tight compromise, some lawmakers fought hard for different alignments with their own political futures in mind.

It's time for Utah to join other states that have set up bipartisan commissions to redraw political boundaries every 10 years. No one who understands politics would claim that such a commission would have an easy time of it. Compromises would be made. Some people would be unhappy. But a bipartisan commission independent of politicians would be better able to draw boundaries based on community needs and interests, rather than on political ambitions. And in the end, the commission's work would be only a recommendation. The politicians still would have the last word.

For now, Utah isn't focused on the process any longer. The state's politicians, together with advocates for the District of Columbia, were focused on the slim chance their compromise would get a vote before the current Congress adjourns.

That compromise appears to have failed. In any case, it did not erase the need for a better way to draw political boundaries.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.