'Fair Boundaries' refreshing

Every 10 years, after release of the latest census figures, the Republican-controlled Utah Legislature oversees the redistricting of political districts.

In Utah, that has generally meant drawing boundaries intended to squeeze out particular candidates, usually Democrats. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, can well attest to this phenomenon, although in 2001, 22-year veteran GOP Rep. Jim Hansen decided to retire rather than run in a redrawn district that included more than half of Salt Lake County and eliminated his strongholds of Washington and Iron counties.

Seemingly, the overriding goal of reapportionment should be to further the interests of democracy. A citizen group, Fair Boundaries, aims to do precisely that. It seeks to place on the November 2010 ballot an initiative that would establish an independent 11-member redistricting commission. It would submit its plan to the Utah Legislature, which could approve it as submitted, amend it or reject it.

Instead of drawing boundaries intended to further certain candidates' political futures, the commission would follow the federal anti-gerrymandering guidelines that place population parity on par with other considerations such as minimizing divisions of cities, keeping communities of common interest intact and recognizing natural barriers.

The commission would be composed of three members each appointed by the Utah Association of Counties and the Utah League of Cities and Towns; one appointed by the Utah State Board of Education; and four members chosen from a pool of qualified residents by the seven appointed members.

Considering that Utah is one of the reddest states in the nation, it is specious to believe that politics would not play some role in this exercise. Yet, in a state Legislature where Republicans outnumber their Democratic colleagues nearly three to one and no Democrats hold statewide office, some legislative leaders have drawn boundaries that blatantly further GOP interests or push certain GOP candidates. That's politics at its worst.

Redistricting done for purely partisan reasons results in elected representatives choosing their voters. In a democracy, the voters are supposed to be able to select their leaders.

Therefore, we are encouraged by the aims of Fair Boundaries. The group announced its intentions at a press conference at the state Capitol last week. The main speakers were a political odd-couple to say the least: former Rep. Hansen, R-Utah, and Salt Lake Mayor Peter Corroon, a Democrat.

Utah law sets steep qualifying requirements to place any initiative on the statewide ballot. Fair Boundaries would need to collect 94,522 qualifying signatures of registered Utah voters by next April to place the issue on the ballot in November 2010. We encourage Utahns to support its efforts.

The Deseret News editorial board has long championed a change in the current system of state lawmakers redrawing political boundaries. At the very least, the state should have a bipartisan commission to undertake this task. An independent commission, as envisioned by Fair Boundaries, would base redistricting decisions on what is in the best interest of communities, rather than furthering political careers. That would be a refreshing change of course.