Why Should the “Fairness” of Legislative Districts Boundaries Be Judged By How Often Seats “Change Hands” Between the Parties?

Published: August 25, 2007, 11:55 am

By Bill Cavala A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento Governor Schwarzenegger is using a sound-bite criticism in an effort to create a consensus that reform of the redistricting process is needed. In hundreds of races over three election cycles only four seats have changed hands between the parties . Well who said a system should be judged by how many seats change hands ? I always thought voters were free to make their own decisions. If they wanted NOT to change parties in a given race, why is it reform to make them do it? Is the criticism that the elections are too predictable? They are predictable because Democratic Voters tend to vote Democratic and Republicans to vote Republican. Could we mix them up so that elections were less predictable? Yes, but only by eliminating the Constitutional requirements that districts be contiguous, compact and following geographic features (not to mention Federal Civil Rights law). Elections in the

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