A redistricting battle that has gripped Florida for more than a year could force Republican leaders to redraw the state’s political boundaries just months ahead of the midterm elections.
Several of the state’s Republican drawn congressional districts which one political scientist described as the most skewed he has ever studied have come under attack by voting rights groups that allege the maps unfairly favor GOP candidates.
That coalition, led by the League of Women’s Voters, has argued that Republican legislators and staffers collaborated with political consultants to create the maps, which were approved by Gov. Rick Scott in 2011.
The case is being heard now in Leon County Circuit Court after the League filed a lawsuit alleging that the districts violate Florida’s “Fair Districts” law, which was approved by more than 60 percent of voters in 2010. If the lawsuit succeeds, the borders will have to be redrawn before the midterm elections this fall.
CLICK HERE to read the article in The Washington Post by Sarah Ferris.
Florida’s redistricting process coincided with a $30 million party-led effort to help Republican-dominated legislatures redraw political boundaries called the Majority Redistricting Project.
The effort, which was called REDMAP by the Republican State Leadership Committee, poured millions of dollars into local races to influence the one-in-a-decade process.
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Michael H. Drucker
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