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Community Columnists Why I am voting Yes on Amendment 5 & 6.
Community Columnists Why I am voting Yes on Amendment 5 & 6.
Written by Alan Brock Tuesday, 26 October 2010 08:50
With early voting under way and Election Day around the corner, I want to emphasize my support for two important amendments that are on this November’s ballot. They are Amendments 5 and 6 and they will provide legislators with much needed rules to follow when they redraw state and Congressional districts lines every ten years after the census. The next redistricting will take after this election and we absolutely need these rules to be in place.
Under our present system with almost no restrictions, legislators draw districts with a singular purpose: protection of their political power. They go into the back rooms and make deals to ensure their own re-elections. For their districts, they choose voters they think will support them and they move unfavorable voters to other districts. Amendments 5 and 6 will put rules into the Florida Constitution to stop this practice. They will:
Prohibit legislators from designing districts to favor themselves or their parties; Require legislators to make the districts more compact and community based; and Place strict protections for minority voters in the Florida Constitution that have never existed before to ensure that redistricting cannot be used to reduce minority representation.
Under our present system with almost no restrictions, legislators draw districts with a singular purpose: protection of their political power. They go into the back rooms and make deals to ensure their own re-elections. For their districts, they choose voters they think will support them and they move unfavorable voters to other districts. Amendments 5 and 6 will put rules into the Florida Constitution to stop this practice. They will:
Prohibit legislators from designing districts to favor themselves or their parties; Require legislators to make the districts more compact and community based; and Place strict protections for minority voters in the Florida Constitution that have never existed before to ensure that redistricting cannot be used to reduce minority representation.
This would put all of Wakulla County in one State House, State Senate, and one Congressional seat, instead of splitting up our votes and our influence.
These amendments were put on the ballot by citizens who signed 1.7 million petitions and they are supported by respected groups like the AARP, League of Women Voters, and the Florida NAACP. And unlike any issue I can remember, these amendments have the endorsement of every single newspaper in the state of Florida!
Let’s be clear, Amendments 5 & 6 will allow you, the voter, to pick your representatives and not the other way around.
Districts should be drawn to protect the citizens of Florida – not incumbents and their parties. Our current system leaves many voters with no voice or true voting power - and the primary decides the winner- usually an extreme Republican or Democrat. Now is our time to fix this broken system!
I ask that you stand with me in supporting Amendments 5 and 6. It is an honor and privilege to serve you!
For more information go to: www.fairdistrictsflorida.org
Please remember to vote early or on November 2nd.
Sincerely,
Commissioner Alan Brock
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