GOP Says Dem Redistricting Amendment Would Lead to "Supergerrymandering"
House Speaker Chris Welch
A little noticed Constitutional Amendment proposal could have major impacts on how lawmakers redistrict in the state, and Republicans argue Democrats are trying to amend the constitution to allow them to further gerrymander legislative districts.
House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 27 was introduced by House Speaker Chris Welch last week and was quietly kicked into the House Executive Committee yesterday.
The legislation would give a list of priorities for how districts should be drawn after a decennial census, and race is placed above compactness and contiguousness.
Some Democrats we spoke to Monday believe Welch’s amendment is a likely response to a U.S. Supreme Court case that could upend the Voting Rights Act and would overturn the requirement that racial makeup be used as a part of redistricting.
But some Republicans believe Welch is trying to give his party more ability to draw spread out, wildly shaped districts to meet race requirements instead of keeping districts more compact, as is traditionally seen as a requirement.
“This isn’t about gerrymandering, this is Chris Welch attempting supergerrymandering,” a top Republican said Monday. “They’re throwing standard language about districts being compact and contiguous and making partisan gerrymandering the standard. It’s more egregious than ever.”
One Republican lawyer said they don’t expect the language to pass court muster even if approved by voters.
Welch introduced a follow up amendment yesterday, HJCR28, which has similar language, but is still in the House Rules Committee.
Welch’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the language.
