A rush job on redistricting spells problems

When President Donald Trump asked Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State to “find 11,780 votes” in 2020 to keep him in power, Brad Raffensperger said no, according to the Tribune News Service.

When Trump asked Texas Republicans to create new congressional districts to keep Congress in his power, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could not say yes fast enough. Neither could Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida.

People in power who fear the judgment of voters will do almost anything to keep them from voting. That was on full display in Trump’s Thursday night speech. The president’s gusher of disinformation and conspiracy theories is designed to create support for voter suppression measures, including passing the SAVE America Act, which could keep millions from casting ballots.

For now, voters in Florida are more likely to be tripped up by smaller hurdles. That includes driver license revisions as well as precinct and district changes stemming from congressional redistricting.

In a continuing series of editorials, the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board is providing information on voting rights and risks, with advice on how to ensure your vote is counted.

Florida voters get it

Floridians understand the damage political gerrymandering can do. It’s why, in 2010, 63% voted to amend the state constitution, barring gerrymandering and requiring fair districts.

It’s clear that DeSantis did not have fairness or the Constitution in mind when he made sure Fox News, not lawmakers or voters, saw Florida’s new congressional maps first. Florida’s four million Democrats represent 30% of state voters. But almost all the new congressional districts are so gerrymandered that they ensure Democrats cannot win. The fix is in.

The consequences take a hatchet to common-sense representation. Take the new Congressional District 22. Because mapmakers were bent on partisan gain, they shrugged off the idea of adequate representation for all people in the sprawling district, which starts in Broward and ends in Collier, straddling the peninsula.

They ignored how little the residents of Labelle in Hendry County, who drive miles to a grocery store, have in common with condo owners on posh Marco Island.

The district is so geographically disconnected that a hurricane striking its eastern edge might be a concern for only half the district’s voters. The western edge is far enough away that it could stay bone dry for hours.

Further, gerrymandering sidelines moderate Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. That’s because gerrymandered districts produce candidates who do not have to address bipartisan interests to win. The result is candidates with less reason to moderate their extremist views, encouraging more extremist laws.

But the immediate consequence of redistricting so close to the midterm elections is voter confusion. Redistricting usually starts at the beginning of the decade, well ahead of elections. That gives local supervisors of elections time to prepare voters, and voters time to familiarize themselves with new districts and candidates.

But the new Florida maps were so rushed, and make such dramatic changes, that voters may not know which congressional district they are in. The new map “ splits my city in half,” said state Rep. Rob Long of Delray Beach.

US Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Parkland told Axios that one of every two voters in the 23rd congressional district he represents are in the new District 25. Further, in-person voters must vote at their correct precinct, and some precinct polling places have changed.

Broward and Palm Beach voters have multiple ways to identify their new districts.

New voter information and ID cards were mailed to all affected voters in Broward and Palm Beach counties. They identify precinct numbers, polling locations and district races.

Online, Broward voters can also locate their precinct online using their residential address. Palm Beach County voters can find their precinct online, too.