Letting the people choose rather than the politicians

Star-Telegram | Jeffrey E. Brooks:

“Perhaps the most outspoken advocate of redistricting reform is Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio. For more than a decade, Wentworth has proposed bills that would create a bipartisan panel, in which Democrats and Republicans would have equal representation, to handle the redistricting process. No legislators or political candidates would be allowed on the panel, and strict conflict-of-interest provisions would be in place. Wentworth's proposed system defines the terms under which districts can be drawn. A congressional district would have to take into account the existing borders of counties, towns and cities. Most important, no redistricting plan would be permitted to purposefully favor or discriminate against any political party or other group. The days when politicians could highjack the electoral process to suit their own ends would be over.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

This noble goal is going nowhere. Because, simply put, political parties are not noble. Instead of reforms intended to strengthen representative government, Texans get commissions disguised as "appraisal reform" but whose true purpose is to cut taxes by weakening representative government in our cities, counties, and school districts.

Nevertheless, citizens should applaud the quixotic efforts of officeholders like Sen. Wentworth and public interest advocates like Jeffrey Brooks. The abuses of Tom Delay and Rick Perry to redraw Congressional district boundaries to create safe Republican districts no matter the overall will of the electorate should be publicized, no matter how long the odds that Austin will enact reform.