Press Release from Fair Districts Florida
AARP Florida supports amendments, calls for voting districts designed to enhance voters' and communities' voices
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A new poll of AARP members in Florida shows overwhelming support for a pair of proposed state constitutional amendments to reform how the state's voting districts are drawn, AARP Florida Manager of State Operations Jeff Johnson said Thursday. Johnson also announced AARP Florida's support for Amendments 5 and 6 on the Nov. 2 ballot.
"AARP members overwhelmingly agree that voting districts should be drawn to keep communities together and to ensure that everyone's vote counts equally," Johnson said. "To help Florida reach these important goals, AARP Florida is calling on our members across the state to vote yes on Amendments 5 and 6."
Three out of four AARP members polled support Amendments 5 and 6, according to a poll of 700 AARP members who said they were likely to vote in November. By approving Amendment 5, voters would require state lawmakers to draw state legislative districts that rely, whenever possible, on existing geographic boundaries and that keep communities in the same districts. Amendment 6 would set similar standards for Congressional districts. If approved, the amendments would take effect in time for Florida's 2012 redistricting.
AARP is joining with the NAACP and the Florida League of Women Voters in support of the amendments, which would establish that legislative and Congressional districts could not be drawn in ways "to deny racial or language minorities the equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice."
Currently, lawmakers use a standard that allows voting districts to wander across geographic, city and county boundaries. Some existing districts are drawn to capture specific areas and avoid others, creating bizarre shapes and splitting up communities in an attempt to create a voting district expected to favor a particular type of candidate. The practice is known as "gerrymandering."
"Unfortunately, Florida's voting districts today are too often drawn to divide up counties, cities and neighborhoods," said Johnson. "These gerrymandered districts dilute communities of interest and keep voters from having an effective voice."
The poll also underscores the voting muscle of older Floridians. About seven in 10 AARP members polled said they vote in every election for governor and their Senate and House districts in the Florida Legislature.
Asked whether they supported or opposed Amendment 5, 75 percent of respondents favored the amendment. On Amendment 6, 79 percent of AARP members polled supported the amendment. Support was strong across all party affiliations.
Ninety-five percent of AARP Florida members polled agree that voting districts should not be drawn to favor one political party over another; and even more (97 percent) agree that their votes should count as much as any other votes in their voting districts.
Two in three AARP members who were polled and who are registered to vote say that the boundaries for voting districts should be re-drawn with guidelines from voters; and about the same percentage say that voting districts would be more fair and balanced if voters had a say in how the voting districts were formed.
The anti-gerrymandering issue is familiar ground for AARP, which has supported redistricting reform plans in California and Illinois.
"Florida voters of all political stripes are upset that their elected officials don't listen to them," said Johnson. "The fact is, in the current map of districts, it's very hard for some of the most astute voters to figure out who their representative is, and often they find their state legislator or Member of Congress lives remotely from them. Voters deserve a system in which they choose their elected officials and not the other way around, and these amendments will help make that a reality."
About AARP
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan social welfare organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 35.1 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U. S. Virgin Islands.
