It's not too late

Frontiersman editorial board

Our opinion

On June 8, the state redistricting board will come up with its final plan for slicing Alaska into 40 pieces, each ideally containing about 15,673 people.

It's been a quiet and relatively solitary process for the board. Despite holding several statewide teleconferences and public meetings in various communities across the state, the percentage of people paying attention to the process has been depressingly low — lower, even, than the percentage of people who take enough of an interest in what's going on in the state to drive to their polling places and vote.

Of course, there have been people who have seen some of the preliminary plans and have expressed their objections. But by and large, people seem relatively complacent about who represents them and what of the many diverse interests held by people living in each area of the borough will be held up as important at the state level.

Maybe they don't understand the possible ramifications of the project.

If Valley residents were to look back at the project that was undertaken 10 years ago they would see that the outcome took the leadership of the area out of the hands of the Democratic party and put it in the hands of the Republican party.

That project, under the guidance of then-Gov. Walter Hickel, was spearheaded by Tuckerman Babcock, a longtime kingpin in the Republican Party of Alaska.

Although, as occurs with most redistricting efforts, the final plan spent many, many months in court before its adoption, it effectively placed the balance of power, both in Mat-Su and across the state, squarely in the hands of the Republican party.

Many rumors have been tossed about that, through this project 10 years later, Alaska's Democratic minority is seeking revenge.

And, judging by the attendance at the redistricting hearings, the Republican party is fighting to keep its three House seats. But they're not fighting in numbers, and everyone seems to believe what they say will not matter — that it will ultimately be the decision of the redistricting board.

According to members of the board, the more they hear from the people affected, the better.

There is still time to make your voice heard, and you don't even have to attend a meeting to do so.

The redistricting board welcomes written comments. Just send those comments to the Alaska Redistricting Board, State Capitol, Room 3, Juneau, AK 99801-1182; fax them to (907) 465-5094; call them at (907) 465-4637 or send your e-mails to board@alaskaredistricting.org.