November 30, 2021
By Joan Twiggs, LWVCT Redistricting Champion
Where We Stand
Redistricting in Connecticut is now two thirds of the way complete. The Reapportionment Commission, convened in accordance with the state Constitution, met prior to the November 30th deadline to accept the state House and Senate maps. The U.S. Congressional maps were not completed and are now expected to be completed under the aegis of the Connecticut Supreme Court. The Connecticut House districts were certified on November 18th and the Connecticut Senate districts were certified on November 23rd.
Members of the Reapportionment Commission declared the bipartisan CT process an unqualified success.
Entreaties by the League of Women Voters of CT and other non-partisan organizations for greater process transparency and citizen access went largely unheeded. Four public hearings were hastily called and held in early September. Following the acceptance of these commentaries, draft maps or resident concerns, there was no further opportunity for the public to hear from the Committee/Commission or to comment on any draft work products.
Perhaps coincidentally, during the Nov. 18 meeting, Speaker of the House Matt Ritter did address two questions that LWVCT and others had posed: Would draft maps be presented to the public prior to acceptance of final district maps and What is the role of incumbent addresses in developing district maps. In the first instance, Ritter simply said that interim or draft maps were not produced. He quite openly acknowledged that protection of incumbents was a guiding factor even though it is not a criterion established in the state Constitution. The position of the League of Women Voters is that protection of incumbents should be rejected as a criterion for district maps. In accordance with the League position, Ritter stated that all minority majority districts were maintained.
Alternative Maps: Trinity College Student Examples
In September we were fortunate to meet Professor Kyle Evans, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Trinity College. View his website HERE. Kyle taught two sections of a seminar on redistricting this past semester. As LWVCT Redistricting Champion, I was invited to deliver a guest lecture to his classes to tell students about the history of the League of Women Voters and to explain the League’s position on redistricting. Students also had an opportunity to write postcards to Hartford representatives to urge process transparency.
As their final project, students worked in groups to conceptualize and create state House and Senate maps. These were completed before the Reapportionment Committee/Commission certified new district maps November 18th (House) and November 23rd (Senate).
I am happy to provide links to their work:
Note that the label “Current Maps” is a reference to the district maps in place prior to the November 2021 certification.
I suggest you peruse these maps in relation to the certified maps found on the CGA website. Unlike those maps, students provide a summary of population changes and often pin the location of the incumbent’s address. Where relevant, the students also provide a map of neighborhoods (e.g. see New Haven). Finally, they discuss the criteria they prioritized in creating their alternative map examples.
Another resource that promises to be helpful is the Ballotpedia widget that compares districts created in 2011 to districts created in this 2021 redistricting cycle. As of this writing, this resource is not enacted for Connecticut.
Another Way: Non-partisan Commissions
Readers of the redistricting blog series know that Connecticut’s approach to redistricting is one of several approaches, some of which are openly partisan, some bipartisan like ours, and some non- partisan. The League of Women Voters endorses non-partisan independent redistricting approaches as the preferred method. Nine states currently use independent non-partisan commissions. A useful summary can be found at the All About Redistricting website.
An interesting model is found in New Mexico. Legal responsibility for map creation and enactment rests in the legislature, as it does in Connecticut, although in New Mexico the Governor has veto power unlike in Connecticut. In 2021 New Mexico passed a law creating an advisory non-partisan commission the purpose of which is to “…develop and propose district maps for New Mexico’s Congressional delegation, the New Mexico Senate, the New Mexico House of Representatives, and the Public Education Commission.” This Advisory Commission held 12 meetings with New Mexicans, six before drawing the maps and six following map development. The Commission’s published report available on its website includes the “concept” maps produced through its specified process. Additionally the Commission contracted with an independent expert to assess the maps with regard to partisan fairness.
As noted, the maps created by this Commission are advisory, and the New Mexico legislature retains the power and responsibility to enact district maps. It does however provide an interesting glimpse into what might be thought of as a hybrid approach and provides New Mexicans with a set of maps, created by a non-partisan entity, against which to compare district maps adopted by the legislature. It also provides a set of analyses and explanations that residents may come to expect as companion materials to the maps.
Those perusing the Connecticut redistricting website will find no such companion explanatory or assessment content.
But wait, there’s more….
While the redistricting season is coming to a close, it’s not over yet. As noted, the Congressional maps are yet to be released.
Additionally, the redistricting series presented by the Fairfield LWV continues. Session 3 will be held on Tuesday December 7 on Zoom. Here’s the description of the event.
SPOTLIGHT On: Redistricting in the News …includes panelists Mark Pazniokas, Capitol Bureau Chief and a founder of CT Mirror; Ken Dixon, Government and politics reporter, Connecticut Post; Cheri Quickmire, Executive Director, Common Cause in Connecticut; and Dr. Kyle Evans, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Trinity College, Hartford, CT. The program will center on developments to date, perspectives and maps, what becomes news, transparency, and public participation. Fairfield LWV has partnered with Fairfield Public Library on this 7 p.m. virtual Zoom event. Registration HERE to join and participate in this event.
The Fairfield LWV will complete its 5-part series in early 2022. They will invite members of the Committee/Commission to reflect on and share their views on the process. Those attending will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Finally, LWVCT was in the news represented by Vice President of Advocacy and former Redistricting Champion, Patricia Rossi. Her interview was aired November 29th on NBC Connecticut’s Face the Facts. Thank you, Tisha, for your able representation!
