The Institute will have more to say on this in coming days, but at 8pm on the last possible day, with barely 1,330 signatures to spare, the Pelosi/Berman initiative to abolish California’s not-yet-formed Citizens Redistricting Commission qualified for the November 2010 ballot. (Hat tip to Rose Board Member and co-editor of the California Target Report… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Archive
FairDistricts Conflict Escalates in Florida
In Florida, the question of how best to protect minority interests in redistricting recently escalated into a heated statewide debate over redistricting. At the forefront is outspoken Democratic Representative Corrine Brown, who has filed a lawsuit to take Amendment 6 (the FairDistricts Florida ballot initiative that would reform the criteria for drawing congressional  districts) off… Continue Reading
CA Narrows Pool of Redistricting Commission Applicants
Earlier this week, California’s Applicant Review Panel (ARP) narrowed the number of Citizens Redistricting Commission applicants down to 622. The pool started with 24,932 Californians completing the Stage 1 application. Of those, 4,564 completed the more extensive Stage 2 application. Now the ARP will gradually reduce the number of applicants to 60. Asian-Americans, residents of… Continue Reading
Redistricting Amendment Lawsuits Filed in Florida
Two of Florida’s Members of Congress filed a lawsuit to take redistricting reform off the state’s November 2010 ballot. Representatives Corrine Brown (D-Jacksonville) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Miami) oppose Amendment 6 to the Florida Constitution, which, combined with the preceding Amendment 5, is known as the FairDistricts proposal. Diaz-Balart asserts that he and Representative Brown are filing the lawsuit to… Continue Reading
CA Ballots Left to Count: Friday Update
Our earlier estimates were too low: as of June 10th, California has over 1.33 million ballots left to count from Tuesday’s primary election. Rose Institute researchers Daniel Shane and Ruth Oliver confirmed “uncounted ballot” counts from 55 of the 58 counties. Only Sonoma,  Mono and Modoc have not yet responded to our inquiries. . Clearly the… Continue Reading
Narrowing the CA Redistricting Commission applicant pool
California’s Applicant Review Panel is meeting today to review the 4,546 completed applications for the Citizens Redistricting Commission. The agenda suggests the pool may be narrowed down to about 500 today. The agenda is available on the “We Draw the Line” website. A list of the final applicants is also available at that link. Various… Continue Reading
CA Ballots left to count
Based on a quick partial survey of county registrar of voters, it appears that there are over 900,000 ballots left to count in California’s June 8th primary. Rose Institute calls and emails received responses from the following counties: Orange County: 182,061 ballots remain to be counted (as of 6/9/2010, 4:15 pm) San Diego County: 160,000… Continue Reading
Rose Fellow comments on redistricting commission regulations
Today was the deadline for members of the public to comment on the California State Auditor’s office recently proposed regulations governing how the initial eight members of the Citizens Redistricting Commission would select the additional six members of the Commission. The Auditor’s proposed regulations and supporting documents are available from the State Auditor’s website. Rose… Continue Reading
The Weakness of California’s Congressional Redistricting Criteria
In 2008, California voters adopted Proposition 11, a measure that stripped the state legislature of its power to draw its own districts and transferred that power to an independent redistricting commission. Proposition 11 left in place the legislature’s power to draw the state’s congressional districts, but established new redistricting criteria for the legislature to follow… Continue Reading
Arkansas Court Strikes Down 2008 Initiative Prohibiting Cohabiting Couples from Adopting
An Arkansas trial judge recently struck down a 2008 initiative that prohibited cohabiting adults, not in a legally recognized marriage, from becoming adoptive or foster parents. In Cole v. Arkansas, Judge Christopher C. Piazza ruled that Initiated Act I, An Act Providing that an Individual Who is Cohabiting Outside of a Valid Marriage May Not… Continue Reading