Arizona IRC to re-draw from scratch
As if to prove its point that the process of complying with Judge Fields' order will be time-consuming, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission has voted to start over rather than just correcting the problems. The Arizona Republic reports:
Moving to start over virtually from scratch, the Independent Redistricting Commission has voted to begin redrawing the legislative districts map that a judge threw out as unconstitutional.The commission voted 4-0 Tuesday to have consultants present the panel with a starting-point map of equal-population districts adjusted to create as many competitive districts as possible, Chairman Steve Lynn said Wednesday.
A critic responded that the panel instead should work from an alternative that would create more competitive districts in the Phoenix and Tucson areas but not change most of the overturned statewide map.