Urgent Action Alert: SJR 2288/HJR 7231 Likely to Have Final Vote on MONDAY 4/26

Urgent Action Alert:
SJR 2288/HJR 7231 Likely to Have Final Vote on MONDAY 4/26

The legislature often passes legislation in the face of strong citizen opposition. They are able to ignore Floridians with impunity because of something called "gerrymandering," the process by which legislative leaders choose their own voters to virtually guarantee their own reelection and maintain their party's power.

Every decade after the census, each state has to go through redistricting, redrawing each legislative and congressional district to reflect population changes. In Florida, this process is controlled by the majority party and legislative leadership draws districts with two goals in mind -- to increase their power and prevent the defeat of incumbents.

To end this abuse of power, a bipartisan citizens group spent several years collecting the signatures of 1.7 million Floridians to put two constitutional amendments on the ballot this year. Amendments 5 and 6 would require that districts be drawn without favoring an incumbent or a particular political party. Instead, the districts would have to be compact, respect existing communities, and as much as possible follow city and county boundaries.

Not surprisingly, legislative leadership is doing everything possible to thwart this effort and undermine the ability of Florida voters to reform redistricting. They have proposed a counter amendment that would allow them to ignore the requirements of Amendments 5 and 6 and continue gerrymandering their districts. In other words, the will of Florida voters will be completely irrelevant. Media from across Florida have condemned this effort as "despicable," "arrogant," demonstrating "disdain for democracy," and a "shameless, self-interested ploy." (Click here to read the editorials written by papers from Panama City to Orlando to Palm Beach.)

Both the House and Senate are likely to vote on this proposed amendment on Monday, April 26. If you want legislators that are responsive to their constituents' concerns, you MUST take action NOW. Here's what you can do:

1. Call or email your representative and senator and demand that they vote no on this blatant power grab.

2. Sign this petition to urge legislators to vote no.

3. Share both of the above with all your friends and family on Facebook and via email. It will take a huge public outcry to stop this amendment from passing.

Please take action now!

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• Uprising against Gerrymandering (timesunion.com)
• Legislative Leadership Trying to Undermine "Fair Elections" (browardsblog.blogspot.com)