Recently the Legislature passed a law that drastically reforms our election laws. To summarize, the bill sets regionwide elections for three out of five Representatives, and assigns the other two seats to be elected in districts. After much consideration, I have decided to endorse this measure as a way to promote competitive races. Though I do have certain reservations about potential "gerrymandering," or abuse of the redistricting process, I find this new system worthwhile, and I hope I have the opportunity to work with the Legislature on this issue if I am elected this month.
The program should be as flexible as possible, and we should always be mindful of ensuring competitive elections. While I do not think the district maps should be constantly 'tweaked' to force competitive races, I believe there ought to be full transparency in how Representatives draw the maps. I would also like to explore implementing a requirement that the Legislature be in unanimous consent on the maps before they go into effect.
It's an intriguing idea. Given the nature of Atlasia though, the main problem will be people moving districts rather than the maps themselves.
Will the districts be elected by IRV or FPTP?
