Guest commentary: Voters choose their politicians; politicians should not be able to choose their voters
Currently, states across the union are playing a petty game of “tit for tat” in redistricting their U.S. voting districts, all in the name of ensuring ongoing power to the political party currently in power for that state. This effort is a downward spiral for everyone in our democracy, whether it is for Republicans or Democrats. The League of Women Voters is adamantly opposed to mid-cycle redistricting — whether it is in a blue state or a red state. Gerrymandering has openly happened in Texas and Missouri already, and Florida is now proposing to do the same. California has it on its upcoming election ballot and more are right behind.
To be clear, in Florida, our state Constitution requires that redistricting occurs two years after the U.S. census is completed. There is no precedent for redistricting in the middle of the 10-year census cycle other than when it has been legally required by court order to address legal faults in the last redistricting plan. Generally, this has been because the redistricting plan has been found to violate the 1866 Civil Rights Act or the 1964 Voting Rights Act.
In the last census cycle (2022), Gov. Ron DeSantis overrode the fair redistricting plan created by our state Legislature and made deliberate changes eliminating one minority district. This plan, unfortunately, was approved by our state Supreme Court (where the majority of the justices were appointed by DeSantis), disregarding our state Constitution. So Gov. DeSantis has already pushed a hand down on the fair balance of voters via redistricting once.
Any change now is clearly for political purposes only and ensures that the voices of the voters in impacted districts are not heard. Our state Constitution as amended in 2010 specifically prohibits this. Sixty-three percent of all Florida voters demanded this limit on our politicians, again, whether they be Democrats or Republicans. The majority of our fellow Floridians have demanded that our districts be created fairly to ensure that all voices — including minority voters — be heard. Our state Constitution needs to be upheld by our legislators, and the governor’s and president’s desire to lock in place their power be overridden by believers in true democracy.
This redistricting frenzy is a race to the destruction of democracy — not upholding it. Call your representatives and senators at both the state and federal level to stop these efforts. Not sure how to reach them? Visit https://fiscalnote.com/find-your-legislator to find both your state and federal elected officials and how to contact them.
So, what can we do? Be vocal! Call, write and email your elected officials. Go to protests. And most importantly, check your voter registration and vote-by-mail status at https://www.lee.vote/ so your voice can continue to be heard.
Cathie Kozik is president of the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Sanibel. Working at the national, state and local levels, the LWV is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization that has fought since 1920 to improve systems of government and to impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy. For more information, visit https://www.lwv.org/local-leagues/lwv-sanibel or the League of Women Voters of Sanibel on Facebook.