“I don’t know if it’s the best solution, but it might be one of the fairest.Book Review of Supreme Courtship: a Novel by Christopher BuckleyĬhristopher Buckley, Supreme Courtship: A Novel, New York, NY: Hachette Book Group USA, 2008, pp. “I’d like to take redistricting out of the Legislature’s hands and put it in the people’s hands,” Longabaugh said. Whether lawmakers can correct the wrongdoings or not is another story. “We must fight to correct this wrong this time.” “It is very apparent what is being done,” said Grady. “When you’ve got that much variation on one side, some voters are getting more bang for their buck.”Īssemblyman Tom Grady (R-Washoe), whose district includes rural areas such as Storey County, cites examples of gerrymandering all over the state, from Douglas County to Clark County. “The problem is when you see these peninsulas or fingers sticking in and out of districts,” said Amodei. ![]() According to Amodei, realizing “one person, one vote” is a challenge when trying to draw districts that reflect their geographic areas. For example, Senate District 5, in Clark County, has 116,343 voters and two state senators - Democrats Shirley Breeden and Joyce Woodhouse, while Senate District 9, also in Clark County, has 136,588 voters but only one senator - Republican Dennis Nolan.įormer state senator and current state GOP Chairman Mark Amodei served during the Senate’s 2001 redistricting session. Supreme Court has interpreted to mandate “one man, one vote.” Yet some Nevada districts are either over- or underrepresented. The constitutionality question for Nevada arises out of the Equal Protection Clause in the 14 th Amendment, which the U.S. “There are districts with two senators, and that’s purely being done to protect incumbents.” “Constitutionally, there’s a challenge,” he said. He still, however, believes Nevada needs redistricting reform. Longabaugh said he wrote the plan as a potential law review article and had no major political intentions. The plan called for municipal boundaries to be used for redistricting rather than the artificial boundaries legislators select. One proposal - the “Existing Borders” plan - was offered by Longabaugh after the 2000 census, when he was a law student. Solutions to the gerrymandering problem have presented themselves over the years, but according to Stewart, problems still remain. ![]() “Each caucus will look at ideal goals after the election.” According to Segerblom, goals that will be examined include rural-area representation and double districting in Clark County. “Right now the process is strictly mechanical,” said Segerbloom. Assemblyman Tick Segerblom (D-Clark) is in the very early stages of developing legislation that the Assembly will examine in February. “The people in power will do what they can to keep the people in power.”Įven though the next legislative session is four months away, lawmakers are preparing for the redistricting battle. “That’s what everybody does,” said Assemblyman Paul Aizley (D-Clark). ![]() “ is something we’re constantly fighting, but in February we just need numbers to change things.”ĭemocrats claim both sides play politics, no matter who controls the Legislature. “There are seven Democrats representing districts that are, combined, smaller than mine,” said Stewart. Since 2001, Stewart’s district has seen a 48 percent increase in registered voters, while Clark County’s eighth district, represented by current Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley (D-Clark), has only 11,813 voters, a 13 percent decrease from 2001. “As long as you have the Legislature controlled by one party, there will be gerrymandering.”Īssemblyman Lynn Stewart (R-Clark) represents Clark County’s 22 nd district, the second-largest district in the state, with 92,597 voters. “It has been going on forever,” said state Sen. It’s also because existing Nevada districts already show clear evidence of gerrymandering - the dividing of electoral districts to favor one political party.Īccording to a report by Marvin Longabaugh, attorney and president of Magellan Research, claims of gerrymandering have existed in Nevada dating from 1915 all the way to 2000, the last time districts were redrawn. That’s because the 76 th session of the Nevada Legislature next year will be redrawing the state’s voting districts and thus setting election ground rules for the next 10 years. ![]() Nevada’s Republican lawmakers sitting down at the reapportionment table next year will be in the same fix - unless November’s elections bring them significant gains in the state Senate or Assembly. LAS VEGAS - When poker players hold an awful hand, which no card will help, and yet they draw, it’s called “drawing dead.”
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