The Reapportionment Commission had to quickly redo the maps after the Hawaii Supreme Court struck down their first version.
They had to go back to the drawing board and factor out military, students and other nonpermanent residents. Some allege the rush has communities with little in common under the same district, while others allege gerrymandering.
The latest maps were made public Tuesday online in advance of Wednesday’s commission meeting. New boundaries drew the ire of communities islandwide.
"You are taking Mokuleia and Waialua out of the North Shore representational district and putting it with Makakilo, that’s ridiculous,” said Waialua resident Stewart Ring. “Our issues are different, our quality of life is different, everything we face is different."
"I find myself in this little weird keyhole that includes mostly the rest of Kaneohe,” said Kailua resident Alani Apio, “and no disrespect to Kaneohe people, I love them, they’re neighbors and all of that, but we are very different communities"
The redrawn lines factor out 106,000 people, such as military among other large nonpermanent resident sectors, giving one district a huge swath across Oahu from North Shore to West side to Ewa for example.
Others neighborhoods like Kapahulu or master-planned Newtown are split, while geographic dividing lines like the Koolau range are not followed.
"I’m trying to avoid a conclusion that it was done to favor a person or a faction, as the constitution says is impermissible,” said Sen. Les Ihara, (D) Majority Policy Leader.
About half of remaining Democratic House dissidents — the people that challenged the leadership of House Speaker Calvin Say last session — and nearly half of House minority Republicans will face head-to-heads among incumbents.
"I’m sure there’s a lot of politics behind it,” said Rep. Kym Pine (R-Ewa Beach), who will vye for some of the same voters as incumbent Rida Cabanilla (D-Ewa-Waipahu). “We of course will never know in the public and that’s something for the commissioners and their leaders to decide."
Drawing lines for political advantages called gerrymandering is disallowed. Commissioners explained there’s no way to build a map that gives everyone their old district which would be just as relevant a charge of gerrymandering.
The Senate districts of decades-long public office-holders Carol Fukunaga and Brian Taniguchi are effectively combined — meaning one Oahu seat will go away to give the Big Island an extra Senate district.
"She’s been a colleague for over 30 years,” Taniguchi said of Fukunaga, who was unavailable for comment. “We’re just going to have to work hard, and I’m sure she’ll do the same.Reapportionment is a tough job. I don’t begrudge anything that happens."
Next week there will be additional hearings Tuesday, Feb. 21st at 6 p.m. in Hilo at Hawaii County Council Chambers and on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. at the State Capitol.
If no changes are made after, a final vote could be taken on the 27th, or changes presented to the public then and a final vote held the 29th. Meanwhile, candidates still can’t file to run in the state House and Senate.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
