Florida's redistricting saga continues Tuesday
when lawmakers return to Tallahassee for a special
session to essentially give Gov. Ron DeSantis what he wants.
Legislators passed
their own version of Florida's proposed new congressional maps,
but the governor vetoed them in
favor of his own, which favor more Republicans and dismantle
districts ensuring representation for Black voters.
Ellen Freidin, CEO and general counsel of Fair Districts Now, led the campaign
in 2010 to pass a constitutional amendment to prevent politicians from doing
exactly what the governor is doing.
"He's really totally disregarding all the voters of Florida and in
particular Black voters in the two districts," Freidin asserted.
"He's cutting black representation in Florida in half."
Claiming racial gerrymandering was part of the process, DeSantis wants to split
the 5th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Al Lawson, D-Fla., who is
Black, and the 10th Congressional District represented by Rep. Val Demings,
D-Fla., a Black Democrat now running for U.S. Senate.
Even though the state Constitution puts lawmakers in charge of redistricting,
the GOP-controlled Legislature agreed to back away from challenging DeSantis,
despite calls from Democrats to do so.
Freidin thinks the governor's goal is to get rid of the Fair Districts
Amendment, which prevents politicians from drawing districts for their own
advantage and ensure fair, minority representation.
"It's totally unprecedented for a governor to bulldoze his way into
redistricting," Freidin contended. "And again, he's doing it for his
own political ambitions."
Legal challenges are expected. The once-a-decade process of redrawing maps will
affect Floridians' ability to have their voices represented in Congress, at
least until the next redistricting process.
Content for this Post is provided by Florida News Connection, a Bureau of Public News Service. Public News Service is a member of the The Trust Project.
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