# Anti-gerrymandering measures on Florida ballot

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-gerrymandering-measures-on-florida-ballot/551396
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [August 25, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-gerrymandering-measures-on-florida-ballot/551396 "2010-08-25T14:16:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
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### Author: ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-gerrymandering-measures-on-florida-ballot/551396/1 "2010-08-25T14:16:01Z")

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[This has been tried before:](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=314742&highlight=Florida+gerrymandering) The Committee for Fair Elections in 2006 collected enough petition signatures to place on the ballot a measure that would have taken the redistricting power away from the state legislature and given it to an independent commission, in hopes of putting an end to gerrymandering. The Florida Supreme Court shot it down at the last minute, over the wording.

But activists regrouped in a new organization, [Fair Districts Florida,](http://www.fairdistrictsflorida.org/home.php) and started over again.

Among the [Florida ballot measures](http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Florida_2010_ballot_measures) this November will be [Amendment 5:](http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Florida_Legislative_District_Boundaries,_Amendment_5_(2010))

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> Legislative districts or districting plans may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party. Districts shall not be drawn to deny racial or language minorities the equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice. Districts must be contiguous. Unless otherwise required, districts must be compact, as equal in population as feasible, and where feasible must make use of existing city, county and geographical boundaries.

And [Amendment 6:](http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Florida_Congressional_District_Boundaries,_Amendment_6_(2010))

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> Congressional districts or districting plans may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party. Districts shall not be drawn to deny racial or language minorities the equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice. Districts must be contiguous. Unless otherwise required, districts must be compact, as equal in population as feasible, and where feasible must make use of existing city, county and geographical boundaries.

These amendments do **not** take the redistricting power away from the legislature, so I guess any question of their application will have to be resolved in court challenges.

BTW, [Amendment 7,](http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Florida_Redistricting,_Amendment_7_(2010)) which anti-gerrymandering activists called a “poison pill” the legislature introduced to divert support from 5 and 6, and which they filed a lawsuit to block:

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> In establishing congressional and legislative district boundaries or plans, the state shall apply federal requirements and balance and implement the standards in the State Constitution. The state shall take into consideration the ability of racial and language minorities to participate in the political process and elect candidates of their choice, and communities of common interest other than political parties may be respected and promoted, both without subordination to any other provision of Article III of the State Constitution. Districts and plans are valid if the balancing and implementation of standards is rationally related to the standards contained in the State Constitution and is consistent with federal law.

. . . has been struck from the ballot by court order. The Florida Supreme Court might or might not hear the case before e-day.

So, are you for these amendments or against them? Why? And do you expect them to pass? And, if they do, what will be the effects?

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