From the Muncie Free Press:
MoreIndiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita praised the Indiana Senate for passing redistricting reform legislation that would establish guidelines for the legislative redistricting process following the census in 2011. The Senate also passed legislation that would establish a redistricting study committee to examine best practices from other states, including the practice of an independent commission to draw the maps.
“I am deeply impressed by the bipartisan leadership on this issue in our state Senate,” said Secretary Rokita. “I understand that Senate Democrats were disappointed that an independent commission could not be established for the 2011 redistricting cycle. However, we should all take heart in the guidelines they have established in Senate Bill 80. These guidelines will begin to shift the importance from who draws the maps to how they are drawn.”
Secretary Rokita’s office began a statewide discussion on redistricting reform in September 2009. Since then, his office has mobilized a grassroots effort to bring this issue to the Indiana General Assembly. To date, Hoosiers have written nearly 900 letters to legislators through www.rethinkingredistricting.com, calling for redistricting reform in Indiana.
