“The Fair Districts Coalition is simply asking legislators to affirm their commitment to the rules as they are stated in the Florida Constitution — rules they are already under oath to uphold,” Cecile Scoon, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, said in a prepared statement. “We applaud those lawmakers who were willing to make that promise. Their colleagues’ refusal to sign the pledge does not relieve them of their obligation to follow the Fair Districts provisions of the Constitution. It only serves to strike another severe blow to public trust.”
Florida voters in 2010 passed two constitutional amendments that created standards for redrawing districts. Those standards were later used in successful legal challenges to state Senate and congressional lines.
A news release this week from the coalition of groups said Republicans and Democrats ignored requests to sign the pledge to follow the constitutional requirements or expressed reservations about signing. Nine House members and seven senators — all Democrats — signed the pledge.
The Republican-dominated Legislature is waiting for the federal government to release coronavirus-delayed census data that is needed to formally begin the redistricting process, which needs to be completed before the mid-June qualifying period for 2022 elections.
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This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2021.