Editorial: Gerrymandering discourages good citizenship
June 24, 2008

When the qualifying deadline ended Friday, nearly one-fourth of the Florida Legislature's membership was re-elected with no opposition.

It was no accident. In fact, it was almost by the cynical design of our current political system.

It's called gerrymandering, and it happens every 10 years when lawmakers draw new political boundaries during the redistricting process. Both Republicans and Democrats, depending on which party holds the reins of power, have shamelessly tried to protect themselves by drawing political maps that give disproportionate advantage to incumbents and the majority party that wants to hang onto control.

The process results in some geographically bizarre-looking districts that may include an odd finger jutting into what looks as if it belongs in another district altogether — and does.

It's akin to choosing your hand in a poker game. If you pick a bunch of winning cards, it's a lot less likely your opponent — if you draw one — will be dealt a hand that can beat you.

So it's hardly a surprise that a high percentage of incumbents waltzed back into office without a challenge. Perhaps a few drew no opposition because their performance was so widely respected that no one saw the need to replace them. The more likely explanation is that potential opponents saw the futility of trying to overturn a stacked deck.

The irony is that the percentage of contested races this election season is as high as it is because of widespread dissatisfaction with Republicans in federal and state offices, and the GOP holds power in Florida. Democrats, recognizing a window of opportunity, are seeking to make electoral gains on the coattails of that discontent.

But the fact is, the rules of redistricting serve the interests of politicians more than voters. That discourages broader participation in politics by potential candidates and voters alike, and also deepens cynicism among citizens. This process isn't solely to blame for our comparatively low voter turnout rate, but it certainly is one cause.

A proposed amendment to the state constitution would change those rules by creating different redistricting standards to prevent gerrymandering. The group behind the initiative, FairDistrictsFlorida.org, wants new standards to be "compact and community based." As a result of gerrymandering, "contiguous" districts may comprise areas connected only by narrow strips or bodies of water.

The organization needs to collect 611,000 voter signatures to get on the ballot, and it hopes voters will have a say in the plan by 2010.

Attorney General Bill McCollum on Friday took issue with the wording of the proposed amendment, and the Florida Supreme Court eventually will decide if the language passes legal muster. But the intent of the amendment is sound: to give voters more power and powerful politicians less.

That's the kind of change that Democrats, Republicans and independents should welcome.