Federally , the For the People Act includes a package of redistricting reforms that protect the political power of minorities and prohibit maps that give a party an undue statewide advantage under a statistical test .
In 2020 , a bipartisan resolution , supported by Common Cause Rhode Island , the League of Women Voters and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP ), would have given Rhode Island voters a chance to amend the state constitution to create an independent redistricting commission of fifteen members appointed through an open application process administered by the secretary of state . Elected and appointed federal , state , municipal or party officials or employees , political consultants or lobbyists , or their family members would be specifically prohibited . The commission would be required to draw districts under various criteria including partisan fairness , community boundaries and ethnic enclaves . The commission would be banned from considering the location of any incumbent ’ s or candidate ’ s residence .
“ I ’ m always concerned about elected officials picking their voters , as opposed to voters picking their elected officials ,” says Jim Vincent , president of the NAACP RI . “ I felt an independent commission of non-legislators would have been ideal .”
The bill was buried in the “ held for further study ” graveyard .
When Quattrocchi monkeyed with district lines , he didn ’ t rob a bank — but he stole voters ’ rights to representation and killed their best chance for policies that met their needs . That wasn ’ t fair at all . �
Ellen Liberman is an award-winning journalist who has commented on politics and reported on government affairs for more than two decades .
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