Mat-Su Valley may lose voters

Rep. Scott Ogan

Spectrum

Unless the Valley presents a strong unified voice of opposition, the reapportionment board may consider placing Mat-Su voters in other legislative districts.

It is possible that the Mat-Su, with more than a 49-percent population gain, could be carved up to fill up other legislative districts that have lost population.

Why the Mat-Su? Some areas weakened by a loss in population do not want to see the Mat-Su get the four House seats and two Senate seats we deserve. By taking our voters away, the Valley's political strength in the Legislature is diluted while other areas are preserved at our expense.

A loss of Valley votes to other legislative districts would be a very serious matter for the Mat-Su. Our burgeoning growth has placed great demands on our legislative delegation and now the extra seat we need to meet those demands could be taken from us.

It is no secret that other areas see the growing Mat-Su as competition. It is no secret that meeting Valley priorities has been getting more challenging in Juneau, especially obtaining education funding.

Those realities, although politically sensitive, should never be an excuse to deny the Valley the representation we deserve.

We may hear the excuse that the reapportionment board has little choice. Some may even try to claim it is just one of those unfortunate realities. Of course no one will ever admit that political considerations could be part of the deliberations. I have already heard that the federal Voting Rights Act may force some unpopular decisions to be made.

Valley residents need to ask the board if integral parts of Anchorage, Fairbanks, or the Kenai Peninsula municipalities will be tapped to replenish underpopulated rural districts. We should reject the notion that the Mat-Su has votes to give away.

So exactly what areas might want to pirate away Valley voters? Coastal communities, especially in Southeast, have lost population and so have many of the rural districts. Technically they should lose seats, but they will claim the Voting Rights Act protects them from suffering any net losses because many of their communities have high minority populations.

When boundary adjustments are made to keep these underpopulated areas whole, other areas will be expected to give up voters. Basically, five choices are available for finding voters to meet minimum standards — Seward, Girdwood, South Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star Borough, and the Mat-Su Borough.

The question then becomes, what area is the most convenient to find votes in? The Mat-Su, a central area with the highest growth in population, is a very tempting target.

Valley voters need to urge the new Mat-Su Borough administration and the assembly to take immediate aggressive action to preserve both our economic integrity and political strength.

All our leaders must vigorously object if the reapportionment board moves to compromise our interests. Prior to reapportionment the Valley had two and one half House seats.

With a 49-percent growth in our population since 1990, the Valley is now entitled to four House seats. We must insist on no less than four House seats, especially since our populations are expected to continue to rise.

We must insist the board be even-handed, and look to all the major population centers to balance the districts evenly. We must stress to the board that factoring in projected growth rates, the Valley, even with four House seats, will be legally under represented in less than two years.

Valley residents need to turn out at the March 31 reapportionment board hearing at the borough chambers. Let the board know we have been underrepresented for more than six years in Juneau and must finally have the legislative strength required to meet the demand growth places upon us.

Valley residents must insist that our local elected officials get involved and, if necessary, legally protect their interests. The reapportionment board must be told that our area cannot be unfairly carved up for other districts. If a redistribution of voters is needed they must come from all major organized areas.

We must all do our part to keep the Mat-Su strong and represented at full strength. The future of our Valley depends on our actions now.

Thank you for reading this message and doing your part to preserve the Valley's integrity. All these decisions will take place in the next 60 days, so we must not delay our action. For more information please feel free to call me at 1-800-862-3878.

Rep. Scott Ogan is a Republican who represents District 27 in the Alaska House.