Special Election on Arizona Redistricting Proposed

PHOENIX (AP) — A powerful Republican legislative leader has proposed that Arizona hold a May special election for voters to consider alternative redistricting maps to use in the 2012 elections instead of ones drawn by the Independent Redistricting Commission.

House Speaker Andy Tobin's proposed legislation introduced late Thursday would put alternative congressional and legislative maps on a May 15 special election ballot.

One of the five measures would ask voters in November to amend the Arizona Constitution to revamp the makeup of the independent redistricting commission.

"The voters need a clear choice," Tobin said. "The IRC process was stolen from the voters and I'm giving it back to the voters."

Tobin's introduction of the legislation reignites a controversy that produced political debate and legal battles last fall after the commission proposed its new maps, which it ultimately approved Jan. 17. Voters in 2000 approved a constitutional amendment to create the commission and take redistricting out of the hands of the governor and the Legislature.

Tobin, who has been among the loudest Republican critics of the redistricting commission, reiterated on Friday his past criticism that the panel ignored constitutional mapping criteria and created maps favoring Democrats.

Asked if his maps would likely result in the election of more Republicans than the commission's versions, Tobin acknowledged that likely would be the case and said it's only right considering the state has more registered Republicans than Democrats.

"I don't think anybody should be surprised," Tobin said. "I'm admitting to drawing a map that better protects rural Arizonans and is fair."

Tobin is from semi-rural Yavapai County. He said he and a House staffer drew up the maps.

Of the state's 3.1 million voters, 1,118,938 are Republicans and 957,786 are Democrats, according to figures released Tuesday. Republicans control both chambers of the Legislature, the governor's office, both U.S. Senate seats and five of the state's eight current U.S. House seats.

Commissioners who voted for the maps have defended them as valid attempts to create competitive districts, one of the redistricting goals mandated by the Constitution.

"We knew they were unhappy with what the commission did, and I guess this proves it," said Ray Bladine, executive director of the redistricting commission.

House Minority Leader Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix, said Tobin is trying to undermine the will of the voters and have maps that favor Republicans.

Tobin's proposals are "a legislative power grab that thwarts a voter-approved, independent process," Campbell said. "This is a pitiful display of partisan, self-serving politics at its worst."

For the state to hold the proposed May special election, the Legislature would need to approve Tobin's proposals by Feb. 15, which is 90 days before the election, said Matt Roberts, a spokesman for the Secretary of State's Office said.

Arizona must submit planned election changes to the U.S. Justice Department for a review of whether the changes comply with the federal Voting Rights Act's protections for minorities' voting rights.

Holding the special election would cost an estimated $8.3 million, Roberts said.

Matthew Benson, spokesman for Gov. Jan Brewer, declined comment on the legislation.

The Republican governor's attempt last fall to remove the commission's chair was overturned by the Arizona Supreme Court.

Legislative resolutions to put proposals on a ballot don't go to the governor, but the bill authorizing a special election would go to Brewer's desk if approved by lawmakers.

Tobin's proposal to revamp the five-member commission would increase its membership to 12. Tobin's proposal also includes language to increase rural representation on the commission.

Bladine said he wasn't familiar with the details of Tobin's proposal.

"Certainly as a top political leader in the state, he has a right to submit to the voters what he believes is correct, but we will continue to follow the constitutional mandate of the commission to file the maps with the Justice Department for preclearance," he said.

"I think it would be very, very tight," he said of the Voting Rights Act review.

A separate resolution introduced late Thursday in the Senate by 20 Republicans would have the state hold a February special election on redistricting.

However, the state's elections office said it was too late to do that because ballots have already been printed for the Republican and Green parties' presidential primaries on that date.

The Senate legislation calls for repealing the voter-approved constitutional provision creating the commission.