Iowa model won't work in the South
Laughlin McDonald has an op-ed in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution examining how the Iowa system of redistricting will not work in Georgia and other states with a history of racial polarization in voting:
The Iowa model for redistricting, touted by columnist Jay Bookman as an ideal national standard ("To reclaim power, voters must crusade," Dec. 22) may work fine in Iowa, but it would be a major setback for racial minorities in Georgia.Under Iowa law, nonpartisan map drawers are prohibited from using "previous election results" or "demographic information, other than population head counts." That means they must ignore race and evidence of racial polarization in voting.
Race blind redistricting may work in Iowa because there are few minorities in the state. Only 2 percent of the population is African-American. Only 0.3 percent is American Indian, and less than 3 percent is Hispanic.
In Iowa, race doesn't really matter in redistricting. No matter how the lines are drawn, all of the districts will be majority white. But that is not the case in Georgia. Race-blind redistricting would inevitably reduce the number of majority black districts, a result which could hardly be characterized as "simple and elegant" or in the best interests of minority voters.
The Iowa model diminishes the importance of partisanship, but it would do the same thing for racial fairness. Even Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is no friend of majority minority districts, has said that it would be "irresponsible" for a state to ignore the Voting Rights Act in performing redistricting.