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