US House Redistricting: Maine

[BigSkyBob]

The salient point to note is that Democrats are yelling "bloody murder" at the prospect of legislative elections being held in 2011 under the old map, but, are defending the right of  Maine to hold an election under the old maps in 2012! In Mississippi, if there is a wait until 2012, the Republican may control the entire process then, while in Maine, the Republicans do control the process now, but, might not in 2012.

It is just another example of results-driven rank partisan hypocrisy.

[BigSkyBob]

It would seem like a similar case could be made against legislative districts.  It appears the maximum Senate deviation is around 20%, and for the House 44%.  It might require different plaintiffs.

Yeah, it would probably require different plaintiffs, assuming the 2010 redistricting data's populations for the Senate and House districts covering the plaintiffs' hometown of Cape Elizabeth are correct (they aren't everywhere, at least in terms of some municipalities not being in the right district or not split where they are or split where they aren't, so it would be a freak coincidence if the population figures for those districts are correct).  Senate District 7 (South Portland, Cape Elizabeth and part of Scarbourough) is given a 2010 resident population of 37,687 (-0.70%).  House District 121 (part of Cape Elizabeth) apparantly had only 7,666 residents (-12.86%).  House District 123 (the remainders of Cape Elizabeth and South Portland, which has two whole districts of its own) had 9,154 residents (+4.06%), which is odd considering the four districts in those two towns average 3.33% below the ideal district population, but the figures for the House district portions of each town add up as do the Senate district portions of Scarborough.  I didn't check the Senate district including the remainder of Scarborough which has another split town the remainder of which is in with the remainder of Portland (too much work).  But anyway, House District 123 is within acceptable range and the 2013 redistricting will likely result in residents of that portion of Cape Elizabeth only losing 39 more fellow district residents than they gain, as Cape Elizabeth will most likley coincide with one House district (2010 resident population 9,015 (+2.48%)) and South Portland and Scarborough (which currenly has an even two House districts which are overpopulated by an average of 7.53%) will combine probably combine for five (averaging 0.15% below the ideal district population).

Finding the appropriate plantiffs., and filing, are merely technical exercises. The only reason there won't be a legeslative redistricting for 2012 is that noone wants one.


The pathetic part is that instead of taking the Congressional ruling seriously, Maine might wait to be forced to redistrict in a seperate lawsuit that ends with Maine paying the second set of plantiffs their attorney fees.

[BigSkyBob]

Finding the appropriate plantiffs., and filing, are merely technical exercises. The only reason there won't be a legeslative redistricting for 2012 is that noone wants one.

Well, "noone wants one enough to get the necessary legal staff (including paying them or convincing them to work pro bono) to have a decent shot at prevailing in a less than slam dunk lawsuit" (I considered the one just informally decided to be a slam dunk for the plaintiffs) might me a more accurate discription.

The pathetic part is that instead of taking the Congressional ruling seriously, Maine might wait to be forced to redistrict in a seperate lawsuit that ends with Maine paying the second set of plantiffs their attorney fees.

What makes you think that might happen?  (I imagine the current plaintiffs will be paid their attorney fees though.)

The 20% variation in one district.

[BigSkyBob]

Oh, I thought you meant that the state would ignore the ruling to redraw its congressional districts, when that would be (well, it probably isn't unprecedented but it would be asking for serious legal trouble) and the Republicans in power probably won't mind redrawing the districts anyway.

Maine's Constitution would seem to bar the state from redrawing its Legislative districts before 2013 unless forced to by a legal challenge.  The constitution could be amended this year to allow for a redistricting before the 2012 elections but with Maine's filing period beginning on January 1 the year of the election and a 1941 Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruling that you can't pass a law that goes against the current language of the state constitution even conditionally upon the constitution being amended to allow whatever is being done in statutory law, you'd probably have to add the definitions of the new legislative districts into the Maine Constitution, which would probably make the majority of the text of the constitution House and Senate district descriptions.

Looks like the taxpayers of Maine are going to be stuck with another legal bill.

[BigSkyBob]

Your Bangor Daily News link is broken.

Fixed.

The BDN article has the same maps as Daily Kos.

In the Republican plan, ME-01 exceeds ME-02 in population by 1 person.  In the Democratic plan, ME-02 exceeds ME-01 in population by 11 people.  The Republicans seem to be making a big deal out of that, which Democrats are scoffing at.  Of course, in both plans ME-01 probably has more people than ME-02, and yes I know courts don't consider that but still.

Not going to a difference of one is political incompetence.