Year: 2009

Kudos to are due to Senator Blevins and Representative Kowalko and all of the co-sponsors of this bill to create an The Redistricting Commission for the State of Delaware — an independent commission to supervise the reapportionment of the GA after the next census. Really, this approach to reapportionment is all kinds of steps in the right direction.

This bill takes the work of redistricting out of the political hands of the Legislature and asks this commission to redraw the maps. The GA approves the maps by majority vote, with the Governor approving. In the event there is no agreement on the reapportionment by September 30 of the year the new census data is available from the US Government, there is a provision to hand the task off to the Chancellor of the State of Delaware and a Superior Court Judge, whose work product is binding when complete.

The Commission has eleven members — 10 appointed by GA leadership and the non-voting Chair of the Commission is selected and voted on by the appointed Commission. Each county and the City of Wilmington have to be represented. They are required to operate openly — they have the maintain a website, conduct all meetings in public, and be subject to FOIA. In addition, they may not be elected officials, party officials, may not be a lobbiest, may not run for office in the election following reapportionment and may not be recently retired from the legislature.