Question 4 on the state ballot would strengthen Maine’s redistricting law as well as bring it into alignment with other states’ timelines.
The question asks, “Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to change the years of redistricting the Maine Legislature, congressional districts and county commissioner districts after 2013 from 2023 and every 10th year thereafter to 2021 and every 10th year thereafter?”
In addition to changing the timeline for reapportioning districts, the change would also require a two-thirds vote for passage.
The question garnered bipartisan support, especially after discussions on congressional district lines in September turned sour.
At the time, some Republicans on the Redistricting Commission threatened to use their legislative majority to bypass a statutory requirement of a two-thirds majority vote needed to approve the final plan to redraw congressional districts, according to an Associated Press article.
The two-thirds vote is something that lawmakers have followed in the past, but it can be negated, as Republicans showed during redistricting talks.
The new constitutional amendment would require the two-thirds vote for redistricting plans, giving the clause more strength than the statute, which can be more easily quashed by the majority party than the state’s constitution.
The question would move up the deadline for reapportionment plans to be submitted. Currently, legislators have until three years after the U.S. Census to create and approve a plan; the change would give the legislature one year.
Starting with the next U.S. Census, state legislative, congressional and county commissioner seats would be reapportioned in 2021. Reapportionment of those districts would happen every 10 years after that. The timeline is similar to many other states, according to the Associated Press article.
The change seems to help protect the process against partisan posturing, and giving a stricter deadline may help streamline and speed up the process in Augusta.
The bill’s chief sponsor, Republican Rep. Dennis Keschl of Belgrade, said the intent of the law is to make sure each district’s population is as close to equal as possible to ensure equal representation, and bring the timing of Maine’s reapportionment process in sync with the rest of the country.
Democratic cosponsor of the bill Rep. Maeghan Maloney of Augusta said the two-thirds provision prevents either party from forcing a plan through and requires the parties to work together.
Hopefully passage of this bill will keep the process from degrading into threats from party members, and affirm the people of Maine are being accurately represented at all levels of government.
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