The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writers.
Arizona voters approved Proposition 106 in 2000 and created an independent redistricting commission to draw congressional and legislative districts. The intent of Proposition 106 was to take partisan politics out of the redistricting process. The stated purpose was βending the practice of gerrymandering and improving voter and candidate participation in elections by creating an independent commission of balanced appointments to oversee the mapping of fair and competitive districts.β
With the adoption of this citizen-led initiative, Arizona became one of the first states in the country to take the power to draw electoral districts away from the state legislature and place it directly in the hands of citizens. And by doing this, it added transparency and accountability to a process that was often opaque.
While the work of the Independent Redistricting Commission has vital implications for Arizonaβs democratic process, much of the public is unaware of its role, impact, and more importantly, how to get involved. As co-chairs of the Governance Focus Area at the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, we strive to promote and improve civic engagement. We believe a strong democracy rests on a transparent system and an informed and actively engaged electorate.
We hope to raise awareness of the IRCβs instrumental work and encourage people to apply to serve on the next commission, appointed after the 2020 census results.
The Arizona IRC consists of five members β two Democrats, two Republicans and one independent β who serve for 10 years. The Commission on Appellate Court Appointments provides a list of qualified applicants to House and Senate leaders who choose the Democrats and Republicans, and then those four choose the independent member, who becomes the chair.
The chairs of the 2001 and 2011 commissions, Steve Lynn and Colleen Mathis respectively, are from Tucson. The chairβs goal is to steer the commission with a collaborative spirit, but their vote becomes pivotal when there are purely partisan tiebreaks on district boundaries.
The requirements for the IRC are: First, members must be registered Arizona voters who have been continuously registered as a voter with the same political party or as unaffiliated with a political party for the three years immediately preceding appointment. Second, members may not have been appointed to, elected to, or a candidate for any other public office, including precinct committeeperson, but not including school board member or officer, within three years preceding appointment.
Third, members may not have served as an officer of a political party or an officer of a candidateβs campaign committee within three years preceding appointment. Fourth, members will be ineligible for Arizona public office or for registration as a paid lobbyist during their term on the IRC and for three years thereafter. Applications for the 2021 IRC are now being accepted.
District maps really matter when it comes to who will represent Arizonans at the state and federal levels for the next 10 years.
Seventy-nine people applied for the first IRC, but that number dropped by half the second time around. It is critical that we have a qualified and diverse pool of IRC applicants to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the redistricting process. Only through a balanced IRC, dedicated to doing business in an βhonest, independent and impartial fashion,β can we be sure of fair representation.
The IRC gives us everyday citizens the opportunity to make the electoral maps so important to voter choices on election day. We urge civic-minded leaders from Southern Arizona to apply to the IRC before the deadline on August 20, 2020.
