League of Women Voters of Mobile THE TIME FOR THE EVENT IS 11;30 AM Come on - Lunch is on and the topic is hot! We are excited to present our November 19 luncheon 1130 am, speakers: State Rep. Randy Davis, Republican of Baldwin County, and Dr. Joe Reed, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference, two leaders in the argument over the fairness and legality of Alabama’s new redistricting map. This is a timely topic as the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on this issue Nov 12, 2014. Legislative redistricting, when done properly, maintains fair representation by allowing different populations to elect political leaders who represent their interests. When done improperly – often by “cracking” or “packing” populations, so that they are either split up into many districts or crammed disproportionately into one district – it dilutes the vote of those populations. The Democratic Party and the Legislative Black Caucus filed suit against the new redistricting map, claiming that it packs African Americans into supermajorities so that their impact is diluted. Democrats controlled redistricting for more than 100 years, and Republicans argue that they made changes that preserve the majority black districts and reflect population shifts. Rep. Davis worked as a member of the Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment, which re-drew the legislative districts. Their differing points of view are especially important for League members to hear and analyze as we examine ways to make our political processes fairer. We apologize for the lateness of this notice – the constraints of the lawsuit made it difficult to confirm speakers. But we are thrilled that two of the leaders in this important debate have agreed to present their viewpoints. Lunch costs $16.00 ($17 if you use a credit card) and reservations should be made to Jane Gordon ([email protected] or 662-3386). Please remember that we must tell the Marriott on Monday how many reservations we will have and pay for that number, so you will be billed for reservations you make, even if you do not attend.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 03:14:34 +0000