Reapportionment may solidify GOP gains
By Dana Beyerle
Times Montgomery Bureau
MONTGOMERY — House and Senate Republicans in the upcoming reapportionment special session can solidify political gains that voters gave them in 2010 by drawing legislative districts that protect black Democrats at the expense of some white Democrats.
Voters in 2010 elected a supermajority of GOP representatives and senators in House and Senate districts drawn in 2001 by Democrats who then were in the majority and who had a Democratic governor.
But it's 2012, and Republicans hold a supermajority in both houses. A Republican sits in the governor's office.
The dominant GOP now gets to engage in one of the most political acts an elected body can do — draw advantageous district lines using population and voter changes from the 2000 Census that were noted in the 2010 Census. The Legislature is required to draw new election lines after each 10-year census.
"I would say the overall plan is political gerrymandering by the Republican Party to increase Republican districts and reduce Democratic seats," said Senate Minority Leader Roger Bedford, D-Russellville.
Republicans, of course, disagree with Bedford's interpretation of the goal of the special session that legislators have been told will begin Thursday in the State House.
Gov. Robert Bentley as of Friday had not issued the official proclamation and reapportionment plans haven't been formally introduced. Whatever plans pass, legislators will have to qualify for and run in the new districts in 2014.
Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, is co-chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Reapportionment.
He said his goal in drawing preliminary Senate districts was to conform to the U.S. Department of Justice's prohibition against regression — not reducing minority Senate districts.
"The practical application was we must pass a plan to ensure one person one vote and meet Justice Department guidelines," Dial said. "I took eight minority districts and worked out from there."
The goal of both Dial and House co-chairman Rep. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, was to keep population deviation to a minimum of plus or minus 1 percent. The current districts were drawn with 5 percent plus or minus population deviation.
The 35-member Senate has 22 Republicans, 12 Democrats and one independent. Seven of the 12 Democrats are black. Sen. Billy Beasley, D-Clayton, who is white, was elected in a majority black district. The white population of Beasley's proposed district under Dial's plan is 36 percent.
The 105-member House has 66 Republicans and 39 Democrats. Twelve of the 39 are white including one, Rep. Patricia Todd of Birmingham, who was elected in a majority-black district.
Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, said Democrat-backed plans will be introduced that don't pack as many minorities into each minority-held district.
"It's just designed to get rid of Democrats," Singleton said of the GOP plans. "It will have some challenges on the floor and in court."
House Minority Leader Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, said the 2010 election showed stronger Republican voting.
"If you look at that, Democrat numbers in the Alabama House and Senate have been reduced," he said. "That happened before reapportionment was in place."
The 2010 Census showed significant population shifts in Alabama's House and Senate districts.
In general, white districts will be whiter and black and white Democratic districts, blacker. "The motive is to do away with white Democrats and increase black Democrats," Bedford said.
Depending on party affiliation, Etowah County legislators either like or don't like the new districts
The new District 29 of Rep. Becky Nordgren, R-Gadsden, will lose nearly 6,000 blacks and gain about 1,600 whites. Her district if it's approved will contain 3.5 percent black population.
"I have little bit of DeKalb, Etowah and Calhoun counties," Nordgren said. She said that Ford's district had to gain population and since her district is atop his, "that's one reason they adjusted it."
Ford's District 28 would gain 6,000 blacks and lose about 1,500 whites. His new district would be 65 percent white
Ford said Nordgren's redrawn district will present problems because of a sales tax that funds economic development for Etowah County. "Now she will get a third of that money and if she only gets a small part of Etowah County, it's not fair to Etowah County residents," Ford said.
Republican Rep. Blaine Galliher's District 30 would lose about 200 blacks.
Sen. Phil Williams, R-Rainbow City, represents Etowah County. His new District 10 had to gain population. "I get to keep what I have and I pick up the northern part of St. Clair County," he said, adding that he's familiar with St. Clair County because it's practically his "back yard."
Sen. Clay Scofield, R-Guntersville, said he's happy with his district that will keep all of Marshall County but will lose part of south Huntsville. The new district includes more of Blount and DeKalb Counties.
"Me being a farmer in a rural area, I understand the area," he said.
Sen. Shad McGill, R-Woodville, would lose some of DeKalb County, but he would pick up eastern Madison County. McGill beat longtime incumbent Democrat Lowell Barron of Fyffe in the 2010 election and his seat is thought to be vulnerable.
"The goal by Sen. Dial was to make it a stronger Republican district," said McGill. He said he isn't sure he'll seek re-election, so he didn't get "that involved" in district realignment.
The GOP plan puts four Democratic House members in two proposed districts and creates a majority-black district in Madison County.
So far, Rep. Demetrius Newton, D-Birmingham, will be in the district currently represented by Todd. Newton is black and Todd is white but she was elected in a majority-black district.
Rep. Joe Hubbard, D-Montgomery, was placed in the district held by Rep. John Knight. Hubbard is white and Knight is black.
Democratic Sens. Tammy Irons of Florence and Marc Keahey of Grove Hill say they have problems with their districts. Irons' new district doesn't even contain the city of Florence and would stretch across Limestone County into Madison County.
"If you use the governor's (race 2010) numbers in the district she had, it was almost Republican," Dial said.
"The results are that three of five white Democrats have basically been gerrymandered into districts they can't win or would have been closer than the last race," Irons said.
Keahey said the GOP-drawn lines for the district represented by Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, would include his residence. Democratic Sen. Jerry Fielding of Sylacauga was put in another district and Rep. A.J. McCampbell, D-Gallion, said his home is in a House district once removed from his current district.
"It's hard for me to think you could do it by mistake," Keahey said.
Dial and McClendon said those were unintentional errors and will be fixed. McClendon said Republican Rep. Barry Mask of Wetumpka also was placed in the wrong new district.
Who: Alabama's Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
What: Special legislative session to redraw 35 Senate and 105 districts.
Where: Alabama State House, South Union Street.
When: Probably begins Thursday and could end the next Wednesday, unless the House and Senate decide to work through the weekend.
Why: Districts must be redrawn based on population changes noted in the 2010 Census.
Odds and Ends: The ideal Senate district population is 136,564 residents and the ideal House population is 45,521. Maps can be found on the Web site of the Alabama Legislative Reapportionment Office.
http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20120513/news/120519932?p=all&tc=pgall
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