2008 General Election Ballot Measures: Redistricting

Summary: Changes authority for establishing Assembly, Senate, and Board of Equalization district boundaries from elected representatives to 14 member commission; requires government auditors to select 60 registered voters from applicant pool. Permits legislative leaders to reduce pool, then the auditors pick eight commission members by lottery, and those commissioners pick six additional members for 14 total; requires commission of five Democrats, five Republicans and four of neither party. Commission shall hire lawyers and consultants as needed; and for approval, district boundaries need votes from three Democratic commissioners, three Republican commissioners and three commissioners from neither party.

Summary: The Constitution requires legislative redistricting every 10 years after the census. Currently, state redistricting plans go into effective during some legislators terms in office causing them to be assigned new districts mid-term. This admendment would allow that in the future, redistricting plans would not go into effect until the first day of the next regular legislative session after the plan has been developed. This allows most legislators to continue serving in the districts from which they were elected. There will be some state senators that would be assigned to a new district for the last two years of their term.

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Summary: Would amend the constitution to clarify that the time when the Legislature is required to divide the state into congressional, legislative, and other districts is no later than the annual general session following the Legislature’s receipt of the federal census results.

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