Redistricting Fight May Not Be Over, Though Committees Pass New Map

On Friday, the two committees charged with drawing up new congressional districts in the Florida Legislature voted to supporta new mapwhich changes the lines in seven congressional districts in the northern part of the state. The House Select Committee on Redistricting voted on party lines while the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting passed the map unanimously.

With the special session continuing next week, the Legislature appears set to meet Leon County Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis Aug. 15 deadline to draw new maps.

In response to the rulings issued by Judge Lewis, the House Select Committee on Redistricting has produced and passed a congressional map that we believe addresses the courts stated concerns, said Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Lutz, the chairman of the House Select Redistricting Committee. Our map impacts only seven congressional districts: 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 17. The Houses proposed map significantly improves the overall visual and mathematical compactness of the impacted districts and better follows geographical boundaries where feasible while maintaining the minority communities ability to elect a candidate of their choice in District 5, as required by the law.

We have a better map today to offer the Florida House for its approval next week, Corcoran insisted. I want to thank the committee for their thoughtful work. If approved, the map will be effective after the 2014 elections. This map completes our drawing duty, and it also protects the integrity of the more than 1 million absentee ballots that have already been mailed to Floridians, including the tens of thousands of ballots sent to our service men and women. While these brave men and women are protecting our freedoms abroad, the Florida House will continue to fight to protect the integrity of their vote here at home. We maintain our strong objection to any attempt to disrupt the election process currently under way and will work to defend the validity of the votes Floridians have already and will cast.

But the new maps do not satisfy the League of Women Voters who launched the lawsuit. The League of Women Voters teamed up with Common Core stressing their opposition to the maps, specifically how U.S. Rep. Corrine Browns, D-Fla., district is mapped out. This fight appears ready to continue even after the Legislature votes on the new maps next week.