Obama and Redistricting

Responses submitted to the Midwest Democracy Network indicate that Barrack Obama is against mid-decade redistricting and in favor of an independent redistricting commission. The entire questionaire is available as a .pdf here, the relevant sections are quoted below:

Issue: Once-A-Decade Redistricting

Question V-A:

As President, would you support federal legislation prohibiting states from redrawing valid congressional district lines more than once a decade?

Yes ___ No ___

OBAMA: I opposed the partisan mid-decade gerrymandering that Tom Delay engineered in Texas. I believe that mid-decade redistricting is rarely justified. There may be some exceptional cases, such as a natural disaster, that create population shifts that may warrant mid-decade redistricting. But I do not support state efforts to redraw otherwise valid congressional district lines more than once a decade.

Issue: Independent Redistricting Commissions

Question V-B:

As President, would you support federal legislation requiring states to form diverse, transparent, and independent redistricting commissions to redraw congressional district lines?

Yes ___ No ___

OBAMA: I would encourage states to form such commissions.

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