Blue Dogs Endorse Tanner’s Redistricting Transparency Act

Members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition have officially endorsed legislation calling for public input in the redistricting process, a step toward easing the partisan gridlock that often blocks bipartisan solutions to the challenges facing our country. The bipartisan "Redistricting Transparency Act" (HR 4918) is led by Blue Dog founding member Representative John Tanner (TN) and Representative Mike Castle (R-DE).

The bill seeks to stop partisan gerrymandering, the drawing of Congressional district lines for partisan gain and the protection of incumbents, a process often conducted behind closed doors so that voters have less of a say in who represents them.

"The result is a Congress comprised largely of Members – well-intentioned as they usually are – who are responsive to the party base in their districts," Tanner said. "The present system makes bipartisanship difficult and sometimes virtually impossible."

Fewer than 100 of 435 House districts can be considered competitive within a 4-point margin of error, according to analysis from the Cook Political Report.

"The vast majority of Americans would find themselves aligned in the ideological center," Tanner said, "but that is not always reflected in the partisan tones of Congressional politics."

The "Redistricting Transparency Act" requires open hearings and a public Web site in each state with data on Congressional districts so the public can watch and participate in the system by which district lines are drawn following the release of Census data. The public process would be overseen by the state's redistricting entity, whether it is the state legislature or another body, such as an independent commission as outlined in the "Fairness and Independence in Redistricting (FAIR) Act" (HR 3025, Tanner/Castle), a comprehensive redistricting reform bill also endorsed by the Blue Dog Coalition in the 109th, 110th and 111th Congresses.

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