Election-district games can make all the difference:

The potential for gerrymandering is alive and well in Virginia in 2007..

Paper: Free Lance-Star, The ( Fredericksburg, VA) .

Date: June 19, 2007

Election-district games can make all the difference The potential for gerrymandering is alive and well in Virginia in 2007.

The word was first mentioned in 1812 to refer to "the action of shaping an election district to gain political advantage." The term was used sarcastically as a combination of Gerry (former Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry) and salamander, due to the shape of the election district created.

Those in power typically manipulate the election district by drawing the boundary to have the opponent run in a district in which the majority of the electorate is from the other party, thereby ensuring his or her defeat.

The outcome of the 2007 election in Virginia will have a great impact on how election districts are drawn as reflected in the 2010 Census.

Republicans were a legislative minority in Virginia 15 years ago. Then-Del. William J. Howell introduced a proposed constitutional amendment bill to create a bipartisan redistricting commission. It was killed by the Democrats (then in the majority).

Fast-forward to 2007, and state Sen. Creigh Deeds and Del. Brian Moran are promoting the same legislation even if the Democrats were to gain control of the General Assembly.

Will Speaker of the House Bill Howell now oppose the amendment he co-sponsored in 1992 because the Republicans are the majority?

The redistricting process is a hypocritical exercise in political self-preservation. It is driven by the fact that a candidate or incumbent lacks the ability to get elected or re-elected without "gaming" the system. Redistricting should be based on population only; then let the voters decide.

Both Democrats and Republicans should support the population-driven process for redistricting and then trust the outcome. If they lose, then they must live with it. Isn't that the essence of democracy in a free society?

Bruce R. Iosco Falmouth

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