RSS Feed of the blog

Contributors:

Reporter William March has covered state and national politics since 1994. Email

Reporter Christian M. Wade has covered the City of Tampa since 2008. Email

Reporter Mike Salinero has covered Hillsborough County government for The Tampa Tribune since 2007. Email

Reporter Lindsay Peterson has been a general assignment reporter at the Tampa Tribune since 2005, focusing on higher education since 2009. Email

Tribune Politics Coverage

Florida Political Blogs:

• State Of Sunshine
• Pushing Rope
• Interstate4Jamming
• News Service of Florida
• FLA Politics
• Sayfie Review/

More Resources:

• TBO.com Home Page
• TBO.com Politics
• TBO.com News Updates
• Live Traffic Updates
• TBO.com Communities

Most Recent Entries

• Special Operations Command To Go Para-Commando Over University of Tampa
• Air Force To Cut Nearly 300 Planes, But None From MacDill
• POTUS Veterans Job Act: Billions To Hire Vets As Law Enforcement, First Reponders, Park Workers
• Will Israel Really Strike Iran? SECDEF Won’t Comment On Ignatius Assertion
• College Scholarship Available To a Lucky Family At MacDIll
• CENTCOM Boss Meets with New Pakistan Ambassador
• White House comes to Tampa for Hispanic outreach
• Hasner announces campaign switch
• Oops! Burgin leaves ALEC fingerprint on bill
• University of Phoenix Hosts Military Open House Tonight
• Former Special Operations Command Director of Training: Iran-US Relations Nuclear Slippery Slope
• USF Gets $1.57 Million Grant To Research Battle Trauma
• Iranian Studies Expert: Diplomacy Toward Iran Only Option For US
• Coast Guard Commandant: Local Bases Safe From Budget Ax
• Clearwater Celebrates Status as ‘Coast Guard City’ Friday Night

More

• Breaking News
• Command Post Tampa
• Fact Finders - Databay Blog
• Guestbook: Remembering The Fallen Soldiers
• Fresh Squeezed Politics
• Political Safari

Monthly Archives

• Breaking News
• Command Post Tampa
• Fact Finders - Databay Blog
• Guestbook: Remembering The Fallen Soldiers
• Fresh Squeezed Politics
• Political Safari

Districting amendments appear headed for ballot

Posted Oct 19, 2009 by William March

Updated Oct 19, 2009 at 03:23 PM

The organization FairDistricts.org says it has 98 percent of the signed petitions it needs to put two constitutional amendments on the Florida 2010 ballot aimed at preventing political gerrymandering of districts for Congress and the state Legislature.

The organization now has more than 1.6 million signed petitions, said Ellen Freidin, Miami lawyer who’s campaign chairman of the group. The organization needs 676,811 registered voters’ signatures for each of its two amendments, and is aiming to gather 25 percent more than the required number to allow for those ruled invalid.

So far, Freidin said, she’s not aware of any organized opposition to the amendments having formed, but advocates expect some. Republican state legislators including House Majority Leader Adam Hasner and incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos have both expressed opposition, saying the measure would benefit Democrats politically.

The next step, Freidin said, is, “We start running a political campaign.”

FairDistricts is hardly beginning that step, however—it has no political consultants yet, and no money. It has raised 2,105,515.77 since the beginning of this year, but Freidin said virtually all has been spent paying paid petition signature gatherers.

However, it does have a list of 2,000 donors.

In the past, both political parties have used districting to help maximize their electoral chances for Florida congressional seats and the state Legislature. The amendment backers say they’re intended only to create a fair playing field, not to benefit any party.

Initially, however, they probably would help Democrats and hurt Republicans, who control the Legislature now and used their control in 2000 to draw districting plans that have benefitted them substantially.

The next districting plan will be produced starting in the coming legislative session, and should go into effect for the 2012 election.