TRY AGAIN, FOR THE VOTERS

TRY AGAIN, FOR THE VOTERS

March 30, 2006

Palm Beach Post, The (FL)

Unfortunately, the state's voters lost one before the Florida Supreme Court last week. But they still have enough time to win.

In a 6-1 ruling, the justices kept off the November ballot a constitutional amendment that would have created a special commission to draw congressional and legislative districts. The court ruled that the amendment violated the rule against amendments having more than one subject and that the language of the amendment was misleading.

Florida needs such a commission because now the Legislature draws the districts, meaning that politicians choose the voters they want. In addition, because Florida gains congressional seats every 10 years from population growth, influential legislators can draw a congressional district for themselves. That happened in 2001 with Tom Feeney, who was House speaker and now represents the Orlando-area seat he insisted on before the statewide map could be finished. Republicans crafted the other new seat in Miami-Dade County for then-state Sen. Mario Diaz-Balart.

Gov. Bush and Republican legislative leaders opposed the amendment for the obvious reason that less partisan line-drawing might cut the GOP's 26-14 margin in the Senate and 85-35 majority in the House. But while many commission supporters are Democrats, and Democratic-friendly groups provided much of the money, other backers are Republicans who realize that the real losers are the voters.

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Dania, was a leader in the petition drive for the independent redistricting commission. A spokesman for Rep. Ryan said Wednesday that the Committee for Fair Elections would start a new campaign, probably with two petitions to address the single-subject problem. With redistricting not scheduled until 2011, there's time to make the 2008 ballot and let voters cast a vote for themselves.

Section: OPINION

Page: 20A