Arizona: commission still refusing to send its map to DOJ

The Arizona Republic reports: A Hispanic coalition is picking up its fight over Arizona's legislative redistricting, saying new election boundaries would give more minorities and Democrats a better chance to win more state legislative seats in 2006.

On Thursday, the Independent Redistricting Commission declined a request from members of the coalition to send a revised map of legislative boundaries to the U.S. Justice Department for consideration. In June, the commission voted to withdraw the coalition-backed map from federal consideration after an Arizona appellate court ruled against using the revised districts for this year's election. The reasoning was that it would have meant pushing back the state's primary election.

The coalition's lawsuit over the 2002 map forced the commission to increase from four to seven the districts where Democrats and Republicans had an equal chance of winning. But a final court decision is pending. ...

[Rep. Steve Gallardo, a Phoenix Democrat and coalition member] criticized the commission, saying it is deliberately delaying sending the revised map for federal consideration. He fears the fight over a new map will drag out until the 2006 election. -- Fight renewed on legislative map