Assembly hears redistricting presentation

PALMER — At the Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting on January 19,. Every 10 years with the conduction of the Census, a redistricting board convenes to determine how the fairest, most equitable distribution of 40 House Districts will serve Alaskans. Stoltze works for the borough under Lobbyist John Harris, also a former Legislator.

“I’ve said for some period of time with the increase in population in this region, I think the Mat-Su region is entitled probably in redistricting to two more house seats and a senate seat, at least control of them in the election process and if we don’t get that it’s shame on us because I think the population is there for that,” said Harris.

Stoltze detailed the process for legislative apportionment, using census data every 10 years to put five appointees in charge of redistricting the state of Alaska. After a constitutional amendment passed in 1998, Judicial districts were used from 1999 to ensure that representatives on the redistricting board come from at least four separate judicial districts, keeping representation from the Mat-Su Valley off of the board in the most recent redistricting processes.

“We are going to gain and somebody else is going to lose, and how you deviate the percentages of under counting, how much you can have deviations of what an ideal district is that when you’re dividing by 40. Well we can undercount these numbers by 10 percent, those numbers add up,” said Stoltze. “Some of the things that probably benefit the Mat-Su is when the voters approved the Constitutional amendment, it required single member house districts and single member senate districts, no at large, no multi-districts, things that are impossible to campaign in.”

The five member redistricting board features two members chosen by the Governor, one by the Speaker of the House, one by the Senate President, and one from the Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court in that particular order. Stoltze noted that during the last redistricting process, no Mat-Su or Anchorage representation served on the board and no Mat-Su members were on this iteration. The five members of the redistricting board are Bethany Marcum, Budd Simpson, Nicolle Borromeo, John Binkley and Melanie Bahnke. The redistricting board Executive Director is Peter Torkelson and the Deputy Director is TJ Presley. Stoltze quoted from Article 6 of the Alaska Constitution concerning the redistricting process.

“The districts should be contiguous and compact territory complaining as nearly as practicable a relatively integrated socioeconomic area. Each shall contain a population near as practicable to the best ability by division of 40,” quoted Stoltze.

Stoltze noted that the board itself was still preparing to interact with the public and determining how to operate in a transparent manner during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“The next real slowdown in the process is the census data. As you’ve probably all heard in the news, there’s been a lot of delays in that, some through legal wrangling, some through logistics of trying to do a national census during a covid environment,” said Stoltze. “I think it’s your interest to protect how do you make sure that you protect the constitutional rights of one man, one vote for the residents of the Mat-Su and have the fairest group of representation serve the needs of our constitutions for the next decade.”

Stoltze detailed how upon receiving population data from the Census, the redistricting board will have 30 days to submit a plan or multiple plans on how to redraw districts across Alaska. Optimistically, Stoltze said that the data could be available as early as May, but more likely would not be provided until the end of the summer.

“Constitutionally, Article 6 triggers it upon receipt of the official census numbers, then that 30 day clock starts...Talking to Peter Torkelson, they are just like you’re struggling and your local governments are struggling in how to conduct public business in public. They’re working on protocols and public contact and participation is an important part of this whole process and how they’re going to do that in a covid environment, that’s one of the challenges the board are trying to address,” said Stoltze. “If you’re in a growing district and you’re underpopulating or overpopulating either way and one’s growing and one’s shrinking, the disparity can really get immense by time next census comes and I think it becomes a constitutional problem.”

During Stoltze’s presentation, he detailed the history of each redistricting board member’s political involvement and who they were selected by. Stoltze noted that other areas of the state with representation on the redistricting board may present their own plans, and asked the Assembly to be prepared to take a stance on how they feel the districts should be redrawn. Stoltze noted that one of the advantages of the long Census process was that Assembly members would have more time to prepare to advocate for the Mat-Su.

“It’s the reality, somebody wins somebody has to lose and that’s why there’s a fight on this,” said Stoltze. “That’s one of the things I’m excited about being part of. It’s coming and there are people that are interested. Everybody wants to make sure they maintain what they have and not lose it and that’s not possible. The Mat-Su, I think just being fair if you’re just operating on fairness and representation of numbers deserves, I think we have an opportunity to do real well in the process, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to do your homework and defend what’s yours.”