Posted Dec. 20, 2014
RIGGED VOTING DISTRICTS, continued
Republican legislators, caught in the act of manipulating, rigging voting districts, like -- and defend -- the rigged voting districts, in spite of Fair Districts Amendments passed in November 2010 election by 63 percent of voters.
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Legislature defends new districts
SaintPetersburgBlog, by Gary Fineout, Dec. 19, 2014
The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature on Friday called on the state’s highest court to keep intact new congressional districts that state legislators drew up in August.
In a lengthy legal brief, attorneys for the Legislature insisted that the new districts, which will not be utilized until the 2016 elections, meet new standards intended to eliminate maps drawn for partisan gain. The Florida Supreme Court is scheduled next year to decide an ongoing lawsuit challenging the districts.
But the attorneys also argued that those standards, known as “Fair Districts,” should be declared “invalid” by the court even though they were adopted by voters in 2010. Those standards say legislators cannot draw up districts to favor incumbents or a political party, a practice known as “gerrymandering.” …
http://www.saintpetersblog.com/archives/171793
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LINKS
Compiled news on Rigged Voting Districts in Florida:
http://www.scpaflorida.com/item/2952-public-has-right-to-see-rigged-district-documents
FairDistrictsNow compiled news reports:
https://www.fairdistrictsnow.org/news/
The Republican-dominated Florida legislature obviously likes rigged districts.
In 2008 and 2009 legislative sessions, Sen. Charlie Justice attempted to get a constitutional amendment passed in the legislature, to create an independent commission to draw up lines for voting districts. It was never placed on any agenda and had no companion legislation in the House.
http://www.thefloridavoter.org/resources/issues/redistrictingfair-districts
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StPeteBlog submitted by Clyde Giesenschlag, compiled by Team SCPA