Senators Tolman and Barrios Cosponsor Fair Redistricting Legislation

BOSTON – In a bid to end the age-old practice of political gerrymandering, a coalition of advocacy groups and 55 legislative cosponsors, including Senator Steven A. Tolman and Senator Jarrett T. Barrios, have filed legislation that would create an independent commission to oversee the redistricting process.

The coalition, including Common Cause Massachusetts, the League of Women Voters MA, the NAACP New England Regional Conference, MassVOTE, and MassVoters for Fair Elections, along with Senator Tolman, Senator Barrios and other cosponsors, appeared yesterday at a Beacon Hill news conference touting the proposal.

Along with the creation of the independent commission, the legislation calls for more stringent guidelines to direct the redrawing of electoral boundaries.

“Massachusetts pioneered the practice of political gerrymandering. We can be one of the first states to end the practice,” said Pamela Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts. “Creating open and fair districts for the citizens of the Commonwealth is the right reform at the right time. We are very proud to have Senator Tolman and Senator Barrios as a cosponsor of this important reform. Their support shows true commitment to the voters of this state.”

A longtime staple of American politics, gerrymandering has grabbed headlines in many states over the past few years. In 2003, Texas legislators fled the state rather than be forced to vote on Representative Tom DeLay's plan that handed districts over to Republicans, even though the state had redistricted only two years prior. In Massachusetts, former House Speaker Thomas Finneran is at the center of an ongoing federal grand jury probe for allegedly lying under oath about his role in the creation of racially gerrymandered legislative districts in Boston. Those districts were thrown out last year by a federal district court for violating the Federal Voting Rights Act. The courts also rejected a Massachusetts redistricting plan in 1987.

“Redistricting is no place for politics,” said Senator Tolman. “By establishing an independent commission in charge of redistricting, we can reinforce the values that we hold dear in the Commonwealth, like justice, fairness, and equality.”

“This bill is a unique opportunity to take our hands -- as legislators -- out of the cookie jar,” said Senator Jarrett T. Barrios. “An independent commission will make sure district lines are drawn not based on politics but instead on equal representation for all people, regardless of income or race.”

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