Dear Redistricting Team Member,
Thank you for all your diligence during the past ten months. We started out with twelve on our list and now have 64!
We know how frustrating the past few weeks have been, but we have been steadfast in the message to the IRC.
Many of us are on multiple mailing lists, but we are sharing this email from Holli Ploog, who is one of the Redistricting liaisons for the Yavapai Co. Democratic Party and the Democrats of the Red Rocks, a council person for the City of Sedona and a member of the AZ Indivisible Redistricting Team.
The redistricting team effort on behalf of many groups, but especially the AZ Indivisible Redistricting Team, has been outstanding. We thank Deb Howard and the rest of the group, the “Gerrymander Slayers”, for staying the course.
The attached letter from Charlie Fisher, Executive Director of the Arizona Democratic Party and Liz Luna, Executive Director of the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign, dated 12/23, indicates that they will examine “every legal remedy available to fight for fair and competitive maps for Arizona voters.”
Attached are the adopted maps the final IRC Newsletter.
We will keep you informed of any action in the legal arena.
May the New Year bring you health, hope and courage.
Maria and Maria-Elena
From Holli Ploog:
Yesterday, the IRC completed their task and approved final draft maps. They are not final maps until counties have the ability to review and make minor adjustments, if required, to prevent unintended consequences such as lines drawn in the middle of an apartment complex. Once this review takes place, the Commission will meet and accept or reject these minor alterations.
The vote on Congressional maps was 5-0. We have nine Congressional districts. By some accounts, the outcome was 5-4 in favor of Republicans. Others view the results as 4R, 3D, and 2 Competitive. Since the competitive districts lean Republican it could be as bad as 6R, 3D.
The Legislative Districts were more contentious with a 3-2 vote in favor of the Republicans. There was never a doubt on which side the Chairwoman would vote. Commissioner Lerner gave a strong and passionate recitation of the missed opportunities to create fair and competitive maps.
She also accused the Republican Commissioners of drawing lines to keep incumbents in their current districts or in favorable ones. Lines were moved at the last minute to ensure Wendy Rogers was placed in LD7 vs LD6 as an example.
Some observers see the LD map as 14D, 15R and 1 Competitive. Others have 2 Competitive seats and 14-14 safe seats depending on the analysis tool utilized. More thoughts will be shared in the next few days.
It could have been worse statewide. There were certainly maps submitted that created fewer “safe seats” and still adhered to the constitutional requirements. The Commission chose a more partisan path.
What happened to us? As predicted, we are in CD2 and LD5.
There is only one rural district in Northern AZ which includes the tribes, Flagstaff, the Verde Valley, Prescott and the quad cities. The competitiveness score is just outside the Commission’s competitive range at 7.1. It would pit O’Hallerhan against Gosar should he choose to run in this district.
Gosar could also run in CD9 which is more heavily solid Republican and includes Mohave County south to the West Valley. Congressional candidates do not need to live in their districts.
Back to our LD. Because Prescott was the original capital of Arizona, their legislative district has always been LD1, and the Commission honored this tradition so LD1 and LD5 were swapped. Thus, our LD is 1. All of Sedona is in this district along with the entire Verde Valley and Yavapai County kept whole. We are not with any part of Flag which has been divided between LD6/7.
Also, none of our current representatives live in LD1 so we will have new representatives in 2022. The district is a “safe seat” for Republicans with a 62/38 vote spread in favor of Republicans.
Commissioner Lerner called out her Republican colleagues on treating Sedona and the Verde Valley differently than other communities whose wishes to be included with other communities of interest (Flagstaff in our case) were honored while ours was not.
She said that Yavapai County was a sacred cow and the desires of the Board of Supervisors were followed without question while the Coconino BOS maps and competitive arguments were completely ignored.
All your hard work over the past 11 months did make a difference:
We are whole as a city and we are whole as a region.
We united as a team and made our voices heard.
We supported our neighbors to the north and received their praise.
We supported the Yavapai Apache Nation and made new friends.
We showed up and were noticed statewide by Indivisible and the ADP as a formidable force.
We also brought out many more locals than our Republican friends at RORR. This bodes well for us in preparation for 2022.
Remember, we’re in it for the long game. And I have no doubt our democracy is stronger in AZ as a result.