SJR 19: Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to the membership of the Redistricting Board.
00 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 19 01 Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to the 02 membership of the Redistricting Board. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. Article VI, sec. 8, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 05 Section 8. Redistricting Board. (a) There shall be a redistricting board. It 06 shall consist of fourteen [FIVE] members, all of whom shall be registered voters in 07 the State [RESIDENTS OF THE STATE FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR AND NONE 08 OF WHOM MAY BE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES OR OFFICIALS AT THE TIME OF 09 OR DURING THE TENURE OF APPOINTMENT. APPOINTMENTS SHALL BE 10 MADE WITHOUT REGARD TO POLITICAL AFFILIATION]. Board members 11 shall be compensated. The board shall consist of 12 (1) five members who are registered as affiliated with the largest 13 political party in the State based on registration; 14 (2) five members who are registered as affiliated with the second 15 largest political party in the State based on registration; and 16 (3) four members who are not affiliated with either of the two
01 largest political parties in the State based on registration. 02 (b) Members of the Redistricting Board shall be selected in the manner 03 provided by (c) of this section from a pool established by the State department or 04 agency charged with administering elections in the State. The pool shall consist of 05 fifteen registered voters from each judicial district of the State who have voted in 06 the preceding four general elections in the State and who have not changed their 07 political affiliation over the period of the last four general elections in the State. 08 Of those voters, one-third shall be voters affiliated with the largest political party 09 in the State based on registration, one-third shall be voters affiliated with the 10 second largest political party in the State based on registration, and one-third 11 shall be voters unaffiliated with either of the two largest political parties in the 12 State based on registration. 13 (c) The State department or agency charged with administering elections 14 in the State shall select by lottery two board members from each judicial district 15 of the State to serve on the Redistricting Board, except that the lottery result shall 16 be voided and the lottery shall be repeated if more than five board members are 17 selected from one of the two largest political parties in the State based on 18 registration or if more than four board members who are not affiliated with 19 either of the two largest political parties in the State based on registration are 20 selected. The members chosen by the State department or agency charged with 21 administering elections in the State shall select the remaining members of the 22 Redistricting Board from the pool established under (b) of this section, so that the 23 composition of the board is as provided under (a) of this section. 24 (d) [(b)] Members of the Redistricting Board shall be selected [APPOINTED] 25 in the year in which an official decennial census of the United States is taken and by 26 September 1 of that year. [THE GOVERNOR SHALL APPOINT TWO MEMBERS 27 OF THE BOARD. THE PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE SENATE, THE 28 PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND THE 29 CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT SHALL EACH APPOINT ONE 30 MEMBER OF THE BOARD. THE APPOINTMENTS TO THE BOARD SHALL BE 31 MADE IN THE ORDER LISTED IN THIS SUBSECTION. AT LEAST ONE
01 BOARD MEMBER SHALL BE A RESIDENT OF EACH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 02 THAT EXISTED ON JANUARY 1, 1999.] Board members serve until a final plan for 03 redistricting and proclamation of redistricting has been adopted and all challenges to it 04 brought under Section 11 of this article have been resolved after final remand or 05 affirmation. 06 (e) [(c)] A person who was a member of the Redistricting Board at any time 07 during the process leading to final adoption of a redistricting plan under Section 10 of 08 this article may not be a candidate for the legislature until after the next decennial 09 census of the United States is taken and another Redistricting Board has adopted 10 a [IN THE GENERAL ELECTION FOLLOWING THE ADOPTION OF THE] final 11 redistricting plan. 12 * Sec. 2. Article VI, sec. 9, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 13 Section 9. Board Actions. The board shall elect one of its members chairman 14 and may employ temporary assistants. Concurrence of nine [THREE] members of the 15 Redistricting Board is required for actions of the Board, but a lesser number may 16 conduct hearings. The board shall employ or contract for services of independent legal 17 counsel. 18 * Sec. 3. Article VI, sec. 10(b), Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 19 (b) Adoption of a final redistricting plan shall require the affirmative votes of 20 nine [THREE] members of the Redistricting Board. 21 * Sec. 4. The amendments proposed by this resolution shall be placed before the voters of 22 the state at the next general election in conformity with art. XIII, sec. 1, Constitution of the 23 State of Alaska, and the election laws of the state.