Politics 101: Redistricting explained

October 20, 1:33 PMBaltimore County Republican ExaminerAnn Miller

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Maryland redistricting map
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The next redistricting in Maryland will occur in 2012. Why is redistricting important?

Redistricting is the process of redrawing the district boundaries on the federal, state, and county levels. This process is done two years after the decennial census. Districts are required to be approximately the same in population, based on the latest census data.

The purpose of districts is to ensure a fair representation of citizens by our elected officials on all levels of government. On the federal level, we divide the population into Congressional Districts, which are represented by our congressmen in the House of Representatives. On the state level, Legislative Districts are represented by our state senators and delegates. And on the county level, Councilmanic Districts are represented by our county councilmen.

The dirty little secret is that, instead of redistricting in order to guarantee fair representation of the people, it is abused by our leaders to ensure re-election of members of the party in power.

On the federal and state levels, the governor submits redistricting plans to the Maryland General Assembly for approval or amendment. Whichever party holds the governor’s seat in a redistricting year, controls the outcome. Maryland and Arkansas are the only two states in the union where the governor controls redistricting.

The governor’s redistricting team will go through extraordinary analysis to devise a map that manipulates, gerrymanders, and contorts districts in order to provide the best partisan advantage. They may split an area with a large concentration of conservatives into two districts to weaken the Republican chances in that area (vote dilution). Or they may lump conservative pockets of the population into one district so Republican chances are minimized in all but that one district (vote containment). They may even split up a district with a strong Republican incumbent, carving the boundary around that incumbent’s neighborhood so he can’t run in his familiar district next time. The possibilities are only limited by the governor’s capacity for deviousness.

In 2002, the districts were so misshapen and illogical from a representative standpoint, that the maps were challenged in the Maryland Court of Appeals and were ordered to be redrawn.

If the Republican gubernatorial candidate wins the 2010 election, it could mean new possibilities for the Republican Party in Maryland after redistricting. If the Democrats win again, the Republican Party will have an even tougher uphill battle than the near insurmountable obstacles it already faces.