Senate Redistricting Work Group
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This document is made available electronically by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/lrl.asp SENATE REDISTRICTING WORK GROUP Thursday October 18,2001 Neighborhood House 179 E. Robie St., St. Paul Room213A&B 11:00 a.m. Members Present Members Absent Senator Pogemiller Senator Hottinger Senator Belanger Senator Orfield Senator Scheid Joe Mansky, Governor's Redistricting Commission StaffPresent Peter Wattson, Senate Counsel Vic Thorstenson, Senate Redistricting Staff Michael Brodkorb, Republican Redistricting Staff Senator Pogemiller called the meeting to order at 11 :00 a.m. Members and staffintroduced themselves. Senator Pogemiller asked for a summary ofcongressional plans from staff. Vic Thorstenson presented the Senate's congressional plan. Michael Brodkorb presented the House's congressional plan. Joe Mansky presented the Governor's congressional plan. Senator Pogemiller asked for an explanation ofthe legislative plans. Michael Brodkorb presented the House's legislative plan. Vic Thorstenson presented the Senate's legislative plan. Senator Pogemiller asked for testimony. The following people offered testimony: 1. Lee Pao Xiong, Urban Coalition (see handout) 2. Bobbi Megard (see handout) 3. Emma Cheuse, Exec. Director MN Women's Campaign Fund (see 3 handouts) 4. Perrin Lilly, founder ofMN Women's Campaign Fund 5. Susanne Hutcheson, MN Women's Campaign Fund 6. Kathleen Lonergan, Senate Environment Committee Staffand St. Paul Resident 7. Dede Wolfson 8. Julie Ingelman Members and staffasked questions. Senator Pogemiller adjourned the meeting at 12:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: REDISTRICTING WORK GROUP Thursday October 18, 2001 11:00 a.m. Neighborhood House Room 213 A&B 179 E. Robie S1., St. Paul Agenda Introductions Questions on plans Public Testimony 1. Emma Cheuse - Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund 2. Lee Pao Xiong - Minnesota Urban Coalition 3. Other testimony Committee Discussion Senator Lawrence J. Pogemiller Mary Harrison Chair Legislative Assistant Testimony on Redistricting Redistricting Working Group Neighborhood House October 18, 2001 By Lee Pao Xiong President & CEO The Urban Coalition Mr. Chair and members ofthe Redistricting Working Group, my name is Lee Pao Xiong. I am the President and CEO ofThe Urban Coalition, a 34 year old research, education and advocacy organization working with low income communities and communities ofcolor. I want you to know that The Urban Coalition convened a meeting with several key opinion leaders from the various communities ofcolor several weeks ago to explore how we can collectively articulate the interest oflow income and communities to you as you work onthis very important issue. We will continue to have more discussion in the next couple ofmonths. As you know, the faces ofMinnesota has changed and continues to change with either immigration from other countries or in migration from other states. For example, Hispanicpopulation~~. according to the 2000 Census, the r. t1 166%, the Asian . 'jV"t-rt w population 84%, African American 80% and American Indian 10%. The combined population ofthese four groups constituted about 10% ofMinnesota current population. 1 Until we grasp a better understanding ofthis complex issue, we would like you to consider three things as you redraw the legislative and congressional maps. First, we request that you draw your maps accordingly to ensure that at least 10% ofthe legislators at the State Legislature be ofcommunities ofcolor, reflecting the diversity and population ofthis state. Second, since there are only four legislators ofcolor at the capitol at this time, we request that as you redraw the maps, you make every effort to maintain those seats. Last but not least, we don't think that, as communities ofcolor, we will gain from the consolidation ofMinneapolis and St. Paul into one congressional district. We urge youto keep those two districts separated. Finally, I want to thank Mr. Lee Meyer and his stafffor furnishing us with proposed maps and the various proposed plans to help us make in our planning effort. Again, our group will continue to meet in the next few months. We would welcome the opportunity to work with you as you move forward in this effort. In conclusion, I want to thank you for your good work and for your effort in coming out into the community. More importantly, I wantto thank you for allowing me the opportunity to testify in front ofyou today. Thank you. 2 ~ ~1;/~g-J7 ,"lA., f - T ~ ;z;, i ~/ </lJ 6~J) /0X r rh£ ~rl-eer; S-r r~ ). I appr ciate the opportunity to come before this committee and I know I speak for many people when I say I am grateful that you are ta~ing testimony in our community. While I have run for office and been privileged to be elected, I am speaking to you today not as a candidate but as a voter-a voter with deep roots in the League of Women Voters. The recent events have tugged at my roots in the League. In these days of terrorism from a country allegedly run by a theocracy of men I am reminded with every newscast that I live in a democracy. I arit" reminded that women in this democracy have the freedom to vote. And I am reminded that voters have the opportunity, indeed the right, to elect women as well as men. I urge you to be cautious not to undermine that right. It is the last part that I want to talk with you about today-that voters have the opportunity to elect women as well as men. Today women are far under represented in the highest elected offices in Minnesota. That is a given. It is also a given that we all say that we need more women elected to statewide office, to congress, to the ~nnesota House and Senate. Thus it is critical that as you draw and redraw your redistricting plans, you are keenly aware of your impact on the ability of voters to elect women to office. Redistricting plans can have one of three impacts. They can make it easier to elect women. They can make it more difficult to elect women. Or they can be neutral. On behalf of voters who want elect women to higher office, I urge you to not make it more difficult. When deve~oping a redistricting plan ask whether the plan creates obstacles for the voters who wish to reelect women legislators. The question should be asked in three ways because each is a measure of whether it would be more it would be more difficult to reelect a women. First, look at the percentage of new territory for each legislator. If a current legislator ends up with a great deal of new territory, voters in that district will be less able to reelect their preference. The more the portion of new territory increases, the more difficult it is to reelect the legislator. Thus, as a matter of princip~l, women legislators in either party should not average more new territory then male legislators. Second, look at pairings. When two legislators are paired in the same district, voters will only have the opportunity to reelect only one. Women legislators must not be involved in pairings in a greater proportion than men legislators. Third, look at the index that measures the proportion of all voters in the proposed district that are in the, same party as the legislator. If this index is lowered in a redistricting plan compared to th~~-~egislator's current index, the voter in that district is less likely to be able to reelect that legislator. Thus, on average, the same party voter index for women of either party should not be reduced more thaAVthe same party voter index of male legislators of that party. I trust that these measures, taken together, will help you ensure that redistricting plans are fair and not discriminatory. Again I appreciate the opportunity to come before your committee and wish you the best as you work for the voters in this state. Testimony by the Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund www.mnwomenscampaignfund.org Thursday, October 18,2001 Neighborhood House, 179 E. Robie St., St. Paul Emma Cheuse, Executive Director, MWCF .ONTRlBUTION Perrin Lilly, MWCF Board, St. Paul POSSIBLE WITH Susanne Hutcheson, MWCF Board, Minneapolis YOURS We greatly appreciate your request for community input and we promise only to take a few moments ofyour time to raise our concerns today on fairness toward women in the Redistricting process. It is a value we all share as Minnesotans to involve qualified women along with qualified men in our public decisions and public life. Weare here today to ask P.O. BOX 582944 you to remember the women as you draw new district lines. MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55458 • Minnesota women are 50.5% 'ofthe population according to the Census Bureau. 612-331-2366 • Women vote, since 1986 at a hi~her rate than men '- though we have only FAX: 612-331-0073 had this basic right since the 19t Amendment in 1920. In the 1998 [email protected] Congressional elections, 52.3% ofall voters were women. .. Women also run for office - more during the last decade than ever before - though it is still possible to find many races for seats with only one or no women candidates on the docket. • In addition, our organization represents only some ofthe thouscinds of activists who help qualified Minnesota women from all political parties Board of Directors run for office each election cycle. Marcia Appel Margee Bracken Marilyn Bryant Giving women equal opportunity to participate across the entire political spectrum Barbara Butts Williams is critical as a matter offairness and to truly make our democracy work. Politics Susan Engel is power. Politics is the arena where we make public decisions. Women must Bette Fenton have an equal chance to participate at every level - so they can be part ofthe Phyllis France decisions that affect all ofour daily lives.