HJR 26: Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to the membership of the Redistricting Board and relating to district boundaries.
00 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 26 01 Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to the 02 membership of the Redistricting Board and relating to district boundaries. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. Article VI, sec. 6, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 05 Section 6. District Boundaries. The Redistricting Board shall establish the 06 size and area of house districts, subject to the limitations of this article. Each house 07 district shall be formed of contiguous and compact territory containing as nearly as 08 practicable a relatively integrated socio-economic area. Each shall contain a 09 population within two and one-half percent of [AS NEAR AS PRACTICABLE TO] 10 the quotient obtained by dividing the population of the State [STATE] by forty. Each 11 senate district shall be composed as near as practicable of two contiguous house 12 districts. Consideration may be given to local government boundaries. Drainage and 13 other geographic features shall be used in describing boundaries wherever possible. 14 * Sec. 2. Article VI, sec. 8(a), Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 15 (a) There shall be a redistricting board. All members of the board [IT 16 SHALL CONSIST OF FIVE MEMBERS, ALL OF WHOM] shall be residents of the
01 State and registered voters who have voted in each of the previous four state 02 general and primary elections, [FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR] and none of whom 03 may be public employees or officials at the time of or during the tenure of 04 appointment. Except as provided under (f) of this section, the board shall consist 05 of 06 (1) two members affiliated with the political party with the largest 07 number of affiliated voters registered in the State, selected in a manner 08 prescribed by that party's bylaws; 09 (2) two members affiliated with the political party with the second 10 largest number of affiliated voters registered in the State, selected in a manner 11 prescribed by that party's bylaws; and 12 (3) one member who is not registered as affiliated with a political 13 party and who has not been registered as affiliated with a political party within 14 the preceding ten years, selected as provided in (e) of this section 15 [APPOINTMENTS SHALL BE MADE WITHOUT REGARD TO POLITICAL 16 AFFILIATION. BOARD MEMBERS SHALL BE COMPENSATED]. 17 * Sec. 3. Article VI, sec. 8(b), Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 18 (b) Members of the Redistricting Board shall be compensated and shall 19 [APPOINTED IN THE YEAR IN WHICH AN OFFICIAL DECENNIAL CENSUS 20 OF THE UNITED STATES IS TAKEN AND BY SEPTEMBER 1 OF THAT YEAR. 21 THE GOVERNOR SHALL APPOINT TWO MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. THE 22 PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE SENATE, THE PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE 23 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE 24 SUPREME COURT SHALL EACH APPOINT ONE MEMBER OF THE BOARD. 25 THE APPOINTMENTS TO THE BOARD SHALL BE MADE IN THE ORDER 26 LISTED IN THIS SUBSECTION. AT LEAST ONE BOARD MEMBER SHALL BE 27 A RESIDENT OF EACH JUDICIAL DISTRICT THAT EXISTED ON JANUARY 1, 28 1999. BOARD MEMBERS] serve until a final plan for redistricting and proclamation 29 of redistricting has been adopted and all challenges to it brought under Section 11 of 30 this article have been resolved after final remand or affirmation. 31 * Sec. 4. Article VI, sec. 8, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended by adding new
01 subsections to read: 02 (d) A member of the Redistricting Board may not 03 (1) have held a compensated or uncompensated position with a 04 political party in the State; 05 (2) be a former elected state or municipal official; or 06 (3) have contributed 07 (A) more than two hundred dollars to a single candidate in a 08 state or local election in the previous four years; 09 (B) money in the previous five years to a group that has made 10 expenditures to influence the outcome of a state or local election. 11 (e) The four members of the Redistricting Board selected under (a)(1) and (2) 12 of this section shall, by majority vote, not later than October 1 of the year in which a 13 decennial census of the United States is taken, select the fifth member of the board. 14 (f) If the four members of the Redistricting Board selected under (a)(1) and (2) 15 of this section have not selected the fifth member by October 1 or if the four members 16 of the board notify the Alaska supreme court before October 1 that they are unable to 17 agree on a fifth member, then the supreme court shall select five individuals who the 18 supreme court determines are nonpartisan and are not likely to side philosophically 19 with either of the two largest political parties to join the four members selected under 20 (a)(1) and (2) of this section for a nine-member board. The supreme court shall hold a 21 thirty-day application period and shall make the appointments on or before 22 December 31. 23 (g) The contribution limit under (d)(3)(A) of this section may be adjusted for 24 inflation by law. 25 * Sec. 5. Article VI, sec. 9, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 26 Section 9. Board Actions. Once the board is fully empaneled under Section 27 8 of this article, it [THE BOARD] shall elect one of its members chair 28 [CHAIRMAN] and may employ temporary assistants. Concurrence of a majority of 29 the [THREE] members of the Redistricting Board is required for actions of the Board, 30 but a lesser number may conduct hearings. The board shall employ or contract for 31 services of independent legal counsel.
01 * Sec. 6. Article VI, sec. 10(b), Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 02 (b) Adoption of a final redistricting plan shall require the affirmative votes of 03 a majority of the [THREE] members of the Redistricting Board. 04 * Sec. 7. The amendments proposed by this resolution shall be placed before the voters of 05 the state at the next general election in conformity with art. XIII, sec. 1, Constitution of the 06 State of Alaska, and the election laws of the state.