LETTER: ‘An enormous step backwards’
‘An enormous step backwards’
No one who has ever been introduced to the concept of gerrymandering, a corrupt practice whereby elected officials choose who votes for them as opposed to voters choosing their elected officials, would tell you that it makes a modicum of sense. In recent years the process of redistricting has been carried out by a “Legislative Reapportionment Commission” in an attempt to make the process less political and more logical.
Having solved a problem that plagued the political system for decades, the Legislature is now poised to institute a process which is more potentially corrupt than the one which was eliminated.
House Bill 2207 would allow either the House or the Senate to design their own political districts while eliminating the opportunity to have those districts challenged in court.
This would be an enormous step backwards! Contrary to some opinions, we DO send our representatives to do the right thing – and this isn’t it!
Bracken Burns
Washington