Hatch's voting-rights bill stresses flexibility

WASHINGTON — It could be up to Utah to decide how its potential new House member will represent the state, based on the Senate version of the voting rights bill introduced Tuesday.

Last month, the House passed a bill creating an at-large seat for Utah while granting voting rights for the District of Columbia, but Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has changed Utah's option allowing the state to redistrict in time for the 2008 election.

"We have shown it is possible to come to a consensus to develop a new fourth district, so the federal government need not dictate to us how our representative's district should be drawn," Hatch said at a press conference introducing the Senate's version of the bill. "For this reason in the Senate legislation, I insisted that Utah have the freedom and opportunity to redistrict for the new seat."

The Utah Legislature approved a new four-district map late last year because Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., who at the time was chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, would not let the fourth seat bill move forward with an at-large provision. Hatch said if the bill passes, the state could choose to use that map or make another one ahead of the 2010 Census.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is pleased with the "balanced and fair" redistricting map the Legislature made last year, spokesman Mike Mower said, but the priority is getting the state the fourth seat the "population merits" that it should have received six years ago.

The bill allows Utah to get its new seat, which would likely go to a Republican, prior to the next Census as a way to offset a House vote to the Democratic-leaning district.

Hatch said the "window of opportunity" for Utah to get a new seat and that member to start gaining seniority before the 2010 Census "is quickly closing."

If passed, the new seats would not exist until after the 2008 election, so no one would need to be appointed in the interim.

"I dare say there won't be another opportunity like this again," Hatch said. "This is a historic time for D.C. citizens and a unique opportunity for Utah to receive its long-overdue fourth congressional seat."

But supporters face strong opposition from Senate Republicans and a veto threat from President Bush over constitutional concerns with the bill.