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The Alaska
Supreme Court yesterday approved an interim plan for legislative districts in
time for primary elections coming up in August. The interim plan is very
similar to one submitted by the Alaska Redistricting Board in April, and does
not incorporate the changes to Southeast the court had asked for when sending
it back for revision.
The changes
the court wanted prompted at least a half-dozen challenges and objections from
Southeast. In its opinion the court indicated concern that those challenges
would delay approval of a redistricting plan by the U.S. Department of Justice,
and with the filing deadline June 1st, it decided to go with the
interim plan.
Bob Brodie
is Kodiak's representative to the Redistricting Board:
-- (Redistrict 1 16 sec "It was quite a surprise to ... we
were pleasantly surprised.")
Yesterday's
decision is just the latest appearance in court for the plan:
-- (Redistrict 2 37 sec "There's been two hearings ... districts
had with each other.")
Brodie said
under the interim plan, the Kodiak House and Senate districts were virtually
unchanged from the prior plan:
-- (Redistrict 3 33 sec "The amended plan, which ... rural
villages around Bethel.")
Brodie said
he doesn't think the final redistricting plan would be so different from the
interim one that elections would have to be held again next year. All House
members will run for two-year terms, while senators will split between two-year
and four-year terms.
If more
changes are needed, Brodie says he wouldn't mind if the Redistricting Board was
given the summer off before tackling the plan again.
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