Sunday, February 27, 2011

FTP - Critical Redistricting Hearing THIS WEEK

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Redistricting Battle Heats Up

Your input is CRUCIAL.

Our MO elected representatives are moving lightning fast to redraw the Congressional District lines. So: WE MUST MOVE FAST if we want to have any influence on the outcome. Redistricting will affect YOUR representation in DC (and the direction of our country) for at least the next ten years.

Affected MO counties include Jackson, Cass, Clay, Ray, Lafeyette, and Platte.

There will be only 2 hearings in KC to weigh in on the redistricting decisions. That is it.

Tues, March 1 5:00pm
Moreland Ridge Middle School
900 Southwest Bishop Drive
Blue Springs, MO 64015

Fri, March 11 12:30 – 3:00pm
UMKC (room to be announced)
Kansas City, MO




Why is this happening and what does it mean?

Detailed census data has just been released and the Missouri State House and Senate Congressional Redistricting committees have started their public hearings, with the above mentioned 2 are the ONLY ones scheduled for the greater KC area. Missouri must go from 9 congressional districts down to 8, so the lines for the 4th, 5th, and 6th congressional districts all must be redrawn to add about 100,000 citizens to each of them (the goal of redistricting is for each to be approx. 750k citizens).


Do you want MO's 5th Congressional District to be a “safe” district, again, for Cleaver and the Democrats, or do you want it to be drawn more competitively so we – the people – can vote in our choice instead of it being a “shoe in” for whoever the Democratic candidate is? We either move strongly and loudly to be involved or the political class will have their way. And politicians win instead of the people. Again.

We need every one of you to turn out and whoever is willing to make a public statement to testify to keep that from happening! It's easier and more impactful than you think!

Why? If the politicians draw the lines without citizen input, you can guarantee they'll draw the 4th & 6th as super strong Republican districts and “give” the 5th the the Democrats. Do we want that? NO! There are ways to keep the 4th and 6th Republican leaning while making the 5th more competitive. We say in 2010 that the 5th is so far skewed to Dem (64%!) that this is our chance to make it more balanced so a good candidate can be chosen by the people instead of predetermined by the political parties.

What should you advocate? Here are some ideas that will make the 5th more balanced while keeping the 4th and 6th Republican districts:

1. The Committees on Redistricting are supportive of keeping “Communities Of Interest” (COI's) together. COI's are not only based on race or ethnicity, they can also be cities, school districts, neighborhoods, even churches. If you know of a COI that is currently divided by Congressional districts (like Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, Lakewood, Oak Grove, or cetain school districts, etc.), you can testify that you think it should be reunited instead of split up between congressional districts. If a community is united, it has a voice with its representative. If it is divided, its voice is diluted and that is not fair representation.

2. The committee favors keeping counties intact rather than split between congressional districts. So, you could suggest that all of Jackson County to be put back together into the 5th district. (In 2000 the Democrats split Jackson it into 3 Congressional Districts to make the 5th a safe Democrat district and boy did it work!). Uniting Jackson County into the 5th Congressional District would bring school districts, fire districts, in fact, any political subdivision within Jackson County back together with one Representative.

3. Since Jackson County has only 674K residents, ~76K more citizens will have to be added from surrounding counties to get it to 750k. The other counties are Clay, Ray, Lafeyette, and Johnson. The populations of those counties are:

Clay - 222K
Ray - 25K
Lafeyette - 33K
Johnson – 53K


So, one scenario to propose could be: Jackson + Johnson + most of Lafeyette or Jackson + Johnson + most of Ray

This solution(s) have the smallest possible county splitting with the least disruption for the affected county as the area divided will be rural rather than urban or suburban. Only the rural northern portion of Ray or the eastern rural portion of Lafeyette would have to be in a separate District keeping all Metro area counties intact.


Scenario 2 to propose: Jackson + portions of Clay

This scenario unites Jackson but splits Clay to achieve uniting KCMO as one COI. It makes the second most competitive Democratic leaning District we can have in this area with the same benefits as Scenario 1.

Either scenario keeps the surrounding 4th and 6th Districts strongly Republican while making the 5th a competitive District.

Now is our time! THIS is every bit as important as any efforts we will make in elections for the next 10 years. The redistricting will essentially determine whether there is even any point to have a Congressional election or if the Representative for the 5th district will simply be Cleaver (or his appointed Democratic successor) by acclamation. Why should they simply be handed this seat?

Please respond to this email if you want to testify. Coaching is available. Whether testifying or not, we need you to take time from your busy schedule this Tuesday and turn out in big numbers whether you live in Kansas City or ANY of the surrounding suburbs including those in Jackson, Cass, Clay, Ray, Lafeyette, and Platte. If you cannot attend please contact me about emailing the Committee.


2/27/11


A huge THANK YOU goes out to Jacob and Donna Turk who have been on top of the redistricting issue and sent out a heads up for this network wide alert.

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