HJR 36: Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to redistricting of the legislature, and repealing as obsolete language in the article setting out the apportionment schedule used to elect the members of the first state legislature.
00HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 36 01 Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to 02 redistricting of the legislature, and repealing as obsolete language in the article 03 setting out the apportionment schedule used to elect the members of the first 04 state legislature. 05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 * Section 1. Article VI, sec. 1, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 07 Section 1. Election Districts. Members of the house of representatives shall 08 be elected by the qualified voters of the respective election districts. The boundaries 09 of the election districts shall be set under this article after each decennial census 10 of the United States [UNTIL REAPPORTIONMENT, ELECTION DISTRICTS AND 11 THE NUMBER OF REPRESENTATIVES TO BE ELECTED FROM EACH 12 DISTRICT SHALL BE AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 1 OF ARTICLE XIV]. 13 * Sec. 2. Article VI, sec. 2, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 14 Section 2. Senate Districts. Members of the senate shall be elected by the
01 qualified voters of the respective senate districts. The boundaries of the senate 02 districts shall be set under this article after each decennial census of the United 03 States [SENATE DISTRICTS SHALL BE AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 2 OF 04 ARTICLE XIV, SUBJECT TO CHANGES AUTHORIZED IN THIS ARTICLE]. 05 * Sec. 3. Article VI, sec. 3, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 06 Section 3. Redistricting [REAPPORTIONMENT] of House and Senate. 07 The governor shall redistrict [REAPPORTION] the house of representatives and the 08 senate immediately following the official reporting of each decennial census of the 09 United States. Redistricting [REAPPORTIONMENT] shall be based upon resident 10 [CIVILIAN] population within each election and senate district as reported by the 11 census. 12 * Sec. 4. Article VI, sec. 4, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 13 Section 4. Single-member districts [METHOD]. The governor shall 14 establish single-member election districts, and shall establish senate districts 15 composed of two contiguous election districts, with each senate district to elect one 16 senator. [REAPPORTIONMENT SHALL BE BY THE METHOD OF EQUAL 17 PROPORTIONS, EXCEPT THAT EACH ELECTION DISTRICT HAVING THE 18 MAJOR FRACTION OF THE QUOTIENT OBTAINED BY DIVIDING TOTAL 19 CIVILIAN POPULATION BY FORTY SHALL HAVE ONE REPRESENTATIVE.] 20 * Sec. 5. Article VI, sec. 6, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 21 Section 6. District Boundaries [REDISTRICTING]. Election districts and 22 senate districts [THE GOVERNOR MAY FURTHER REDISTRICT BY CHANGING 23 THE SIZE AND AREA OF ELECTION DISTRICTS, SUBJECT TO THE 24 LIMITATIONS OF THIS ARTICLE. EACH NEW DISTRICT SO CREATED] shall 25 be formed of contiguous and compact territory containing as nearly as practicable a 26 relatively integrated socio-economic area. [EACH SHALL CONTAIN A 27 POPULATION AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE QUOTIENT OBTAINED BY 28 DIVIDING THE TOTAL CIVILIAN POPULATION BY FORTY.] Consideration may 29 be given to local government boundaries. Drainage and other geographic features shall 30 be used in describing boundaries wherever possible. 31 * Sec. 6. Article VI, sec. 8, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read:
01 Section 8. Redistricting [REAPPORTIONMENT] Board. The governor 02 shall appoint a [REAPPORTIONMENT] board to act in an advisory capacity to the 03 governor [HIM]. It shall consist of five members, none of whom may be public 04 employees or officials. At least one board member [EACH] shall be appointed from 05 each judicial district established by law under Section 1 of Article IV [THE 06 SOUTHEASTERN, SOUTHCENTRAL, CENTRAL, AND NORTHWESTERN 07 SENATE DISTRICTS]. Appointments shall be made without regard to political 08 affiliation. Board members shall be compensated. 09 * Sec. 7. Article VI, sec. 10, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 10 Section 10. Redistricting [REAPPORTIONMENT] Plan and Proclamation. 11 Within ninety days following the official reporting of each decennial census, the board 12 shall submit to the governor a plan for [REAPPORTIONMENT AND] redistricting as 13 provided in this article. Within ninety days after receipt of the plan, the governor shall 14 issue a proclamation of [REAPPORTIONMENT AND] redistricting. An 15 accompanying statement shall explain any change from the plan of the board. The 16 [REAPPORTIONMENT AND] redistricting shall be effective for the election of 17 members of the legislature until after the official reporting of the next decennial 18 census. 19 * Sec. 8. Article VI, sec. 11, Constitution of the State of Alaska is amended to read: 20 Section 11. Enforcement. Any qualified voter may apply to the superior 21 court to compel the governor, by mandamus or otherwise, to perform the [HIS 22 REAPPORTIONMENT] duties assigned to the governor under this article or to 23 correct any error in redistricting [OR REAPPORTIONMENT]. Application to compel 24 the governor to perform the [HIS REAPPORTIONMENT] duties assigned to the 25 governor under this article must be filed within thirty days of the expiration of either 26 of the two ninety-day periods specified in this article. Application to compel 27 correction of any error in redistricting [OR REAPPORTIONMENT] must be filed 28 within thirty days following the proclamation. Original jurisdiction in these matters 29 is hereby vested in the superior court. On appeal, the cause shall be reviewed by the 30 supreme court upon the law and the facts. 31 * Sec. 9. Article VI, secs. 5 and 7, and Article XIV, Constitution of the State of Alaska,
01 are repealed. 02 * Sec. 10. The amendments proposed by this resolution shall be placed before the voters 03 of the state at the next general election in conformity with art. XIII, sec. 1, Constitution of the 04 State of Alaska, and the election laws of the state.