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Legislators are reluctant to give up the power to draw new legislative district lines because it can mean political life or death for them. But Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee approved a bill to give part of redistricting to a nonpartisan, independent commission.
Under the bill sponsored by Sen. Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, legislative leaders would appoint five retired judges to an advisory commission that would draw new legislative and congressional district lines after the 2010 census. The Legislature could accept or reject the commission's recommendation.
If lawmakers rejected the first map, the judges could draw second and third maps. Only after the Legislature turned down three maps could lawmakers draw new district lines on their own.
"I don't think you can ever take the politics out of this (redistricting), but this is an attempt to get it as far removed from pure partisanship as possible," Pogemiller said.
The plan was recommended last year by a redistricting reform panel sponsored by the University of Minnesota's Center for the Study of Politics and Governance and chaired by former Vice President Walter Mondale and former Gov. Arne Carlson.
Former Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe, a member of that panel, told the finance committee that he was involved in four attempts by the Legislature to redraw district lines.
"In all four cases, we failed to do our job," Moe said. "The process doesn't work."
All four ended up in court.
In three of those four cases, judges had to draw the district lines after the Legislature failed to agree on new maps.
Senate Counsel Peter Wattson said 21 other states use commissions to handle all or part of redistricting.
The bill's next stop is the Rules Committee, which Pogemiller chairs. He said he plans to have the Senate vote on the measure this year. The bill is not yet moving in the House.
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