Redistricting hearing set tomorrow

MAT-SU — It only happens once every 10 years, yet the effects last a decade and can have resounding consequences for Alaska's citizens.

Redistricting will decide how many legislators will represent the Valley in future legislative sessions, which, in turn, could determine the future rate of success on Valley-related issues decided in Juneau. Valley voters have one chance — tomorrow — to tell the redistricting board in person exactly what they believe fair representation is.

The state redistricting board plans to meet Saturday in the assembly chambers of the Mat-Su Borough building from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to hear public testimony about changes residents would like to see with the Alaska House districts in the borough. It is the only meeting the board will hold in the area for this purpose.

Charlotte Cremer, an information officer at the Mat-Su Legislative Information Office (LIO), said she is surprised at the lack of response such an important issue has generated in the community.

"I'm surprised nobody's paying more attention to this," Cremer said.

The teleconference hearings that have been held about the issue have had very low attendance rates, she said. Several hearings have been held, but only five people have attended so far.

Many of the attendees, Cremer added, have been municipal clerks who must tackle election districting problems that may arise as a result of the redistricting — and who will be involved in redistricting within the municipality itself.

If the district lines are not carefully drawn, it could bring a headache for both voters and the clerks who will be coordinating elections with the newly drawn boundaries.

Kristie VanGorder, Wasilla's city clerk, cited one example she ran into while working at the borough after the last decade's bout of redistricting.

Residents along Engstrom Road near Finger Lake must drive nearly 20 miles to vote at the Wasilla-Fishhook polling place because they are included in that precinct, when their homes are just a couple of miles from Finger Lake Elementary School, the polling place for the Lakes district.

"You really want to make voting really accessible to the voters," VanGorder explained. "You don't want to have them drive 17 miles to get to their polling place."

Possible changes to polling places aren't the only thing about redistricting that may affect individuals in the Valley. Redistricting could affect the way various areas are represented during legislative sessions, as well as how areas are represented by assembly members.

Mat-Su Borough Clerk Sandra Dillon said after the 40 state voting precincts have been accepted, the borough will have an additional 60 days to redraw the borough districts.

This is a change from the last redistricting session. During the last session, Dillon said, the census numbers came out and both the state and municipal redistricting boards began drawing lines at the same time. As the plans came out, of course, many of the lines were conflicting and plans had to be redrawn.

Thanks to legislation passed in 1998 and 1999 (an amendment to the state constitution in 1998 and Senate Bill 99 in 1999), municipalities will no longer be forced to come up with new district lines at the same time precinct lines are being drawn.

The new provision allows municipalities 60 days after a redistricting plan has been adopted.