Dems continue tirade against remap idea

As I noted in my print-edition column today, a Republican move to preserve the ability to do a mid-decade reapportionment is angering Nevada’s Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Aaron Ford has denounced the move, and the Nevada Democratic Party complained about it in a statement.

And now, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, a group dedicated to electing Democrats to statehouses nationwide, is getting in on the action. Here’s part of a statement put out today by Executive Director Michael Sargeant:

“Nevada Republicans spent their first day in the majority setting up a blatant, partisan power-grab that would do nothing but distract from and imperil crucial priorities like creating jobs and funding public schools,” said Sargeant.

“The Nevada Constitution is clear: It only authorizes redistricting in the year following the decennial Census. That already occurred in 2011, when a non-partisan process created fair and highly competitive districts for both Congress and the Legislature. Any move to re-draw districts now would be clearly unconstitutional and illegal,” Sargeant continued.

But that’s plainly not true. Article 4, Section 5 of the Nevada Constitution says the Legislature has a mandatory duty to draw new district lines after every decennial census, but it’s silent on whether a redistricting can occur at any other time. Sargeant’s statement that such mid-decade redistricting is “clearly unconstitutional and illegal” misstates Nevada’s constitutional language. In the absence of a clear prohibition, it would seem the Legislature does have the power — at its own discretion — to reapportion districts at other times, provided that it must reapportion districts in the first session after the census.

More from Sergeant: “Governor [Brian] Sandoval must speak with a clear voice and let Nevadans know where he stands. The Governor promised to make jobs and education the focus of his second term. Now he must show leadership and prevent his allies’ partisan power-play from derailing the mainstream agenda Nevadans expect from him,” Sargeant concluded.

If I had to guess, my guess would be that Sandoval doesn’t at all mind having the possibility of redistricting in his back pocket while negotiating with Democrats over issues during the session.