Local Response to Congressional Redistricting

ON MONDAY, GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS OFFICIALLY SIGNED OFF ON NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAPS PROCLAIMS THEY WOULD HELP REPUBLICANS PICK UP 4 MORE SEATS IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. THE GOVERNOR MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHERE HE POSTED AN IMAGE OF THE NEWLY REDRAWN MAPS AND HE STATED SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED ANOTHER POST IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED, SAYING PROMISE MADE PROMISE, KEPT. BUT IMMEDIATELY AFTER HE SIGNED THOSE MAPS INTO LAW, THE SUIT WAS QUICKLY FILED BY THE CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP CALLED EQUAL GROUND EDUCATION FUNDS. NOW THAT GROUP IS ASKING A STATE JUDGE TO BLOCK THE NEW MAPS AND REAL ESTATE. THE ONES APPROVED BY THE LEGISLATURE IN 2022. THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS THE NEW MAPS VIOLATE A VOTER APPROVED AT TIMES GERRYMANDERING POLICY WGCU TAKE SPOKE TO THE GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION. THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FOR ITS VALUATION ON REDISTRICTING. >> I'M JOINED BY SANDY FRANK. SHE'S THE PRESIDENT OF THE LEE COUNTY LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FRANK. THANK YOU, KATE. GOOD TO BE HERE. NOW THE LEALMAN VOTERS CREATED A NATIONAL PROGRAM CALLED PEOPLE POWERED FAIR MAPS. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT CAUSE FOR YIELD? >> PROGRAM WAS ACTUALLY CREATED A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO BECAUSE THE FEELS THAT REDISTRICTING SHOULD BE DONE BY A FAIR AND OPEN PROCESS AND AS WE TALKED ABOUT ME COMING TODAY, I LOOKED IT UP AND ACTUALLY WAS CREATED IN 2016 SO WELL BEFORE THE CURRENT EFFORTS FOR REDISTRICTING. AND IT WAS TO CREATE AND TO HELP COMMUNITIES AND STATES TO CREATE FAIR MAPS AND THERE'S A SET OF CRITERIA THAT GOES WITH THAT. NO HARM HARM TO COMMUNITIES. AND THE LEAGUE AS IT DOES WITH MANY ISSUES STUDIED THE ISSUE. AND WE HAD NUMBER CONSENSUS THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HAVE FAIR REDISTRICTING AND DEVELOP CRITERIA THAT WE WANTED THE COMMUNITIES AND STATES TO LOOK AT WHEN THEY WERE REDISTRICTING. SO IT'S NOT A RECENT PROGRAM FOR US, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN IN THE FOREFRONT, ESPECIALLY FOR THE FEW YEARS WITH THAT AFTER THE LAST CENSUS THAT WE WERE DONE FOR A WHILE. BUT IT'S COMING UP AGAIN. >> AND THEN WE'VE SEEN DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVES. THEY'VE CALLED THIS CHANGE GERRYMANDERING. THEY'VE CALLED IT UNCONSTITUTIONAL. DO YOU THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE SOME LEGAL CHALLENGES IN THE NEAR FUTURE? >> THERE DEFINITELY WILL BE LEGAL CHALLENGES. THERE WAS ONE FILED YESTERDAY ON FOR 4 AGAINST THE FLORIDA REDISTRICTING AND THERE ARE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE LOOKING AT WHAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO LEGALLY. THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION PROHIBITS GERRYMANDERING. IT ALSO REQUIRES THAT YOU TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION AND NOT DO HARM TO COMMUNITIES OF COLOR OF UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES OF GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICTS. SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT WHAT THE REDISTRICTING WAS AND WHAT WE DO KNOW THAT IT WAS NOT DONE IN THE SUNSHINE. IT WAS DONE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. ACCORDING TO THE TESTIMONY AT THE HEARINGS BY ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO WORKED FOR THE GOVERNOR OVER A TWO-WEEK PERIOD WITH ACCORDING TO HIM IN THE TESTIMONY, NO INPUT FROM ANYBODY ELSE. SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE WHOLE STATE AND POSSIBLY THE COUNTRY BEING IMPACTED BY WHAT WAS DONE AND THAT IT'S NOT REALLY A FAIR AND OPEN PROCESS. >> WHAT ARE YOU MOST CONCERNED ABOUT AS A REPERCUSSION FROM THESE THIS CHANGE? >> THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS I'M CONCERNED ABOUT HOW VOTERS WILL THINK ABOUT THIS, HOW THAT WILL AFFECT THEM, WHETHER THEY GIVE UP OR WHETHER THEY FIND A WAY TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD. SO I THINK IT'S WHATEVER HAPPENS IN THE END, WHATEVER IS THE SITUATION WHEN WE VOTE IN THE PRIMARY AND ALSO AND THE GENERAL ELECTION VOTERS NEED TO TURN OUT AND VOTE THEIR CONSCIENCE, VOTE ON THEIR ISSUES. BUT FOR THE CANDIDATES THEY THINK WILL BEST REPRESENT THEM. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THEY MAY NOT KNOW WHAT THOSE CANDIDATES ARE RIGHT NOW AND THE CANDIDATES DON'T IN SOME CASES, I DON'T KNOW WHICH DISTRICTS THEY'LL BE REPRESENTING. SO IT'S A VERY COMPRESSED TIME FRAME FOR PEOPLE TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD AND TO MAKE INFORMED BOATS. >> SO FOR ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS HERE IN LEE COUNTY, WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS? >> SO THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS WAS CREATED IN 1920, NATIONALLY AFTER WOMAN FOUGHT FOR AND RECEIVED THE RIGHT TO VOTE. AND IN LEE COUNTY SINCE 1949, OUR MISSION IS TO EMPOWER VOTERS AND DEFEND DEMOCRACY. AT THIS POINT, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK BEING DONE TO DEFEND DEMOCRACY, BUT IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT FOR VOTERS TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD. SO OUR MESSAGE TO VOTERS IN LEE COUNTY IS TO PREPARE TO VOTE. MAKE SURE YOU'RE REGISTERED. MAKE SURE THAT YOU REQUESTED YOUR VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT IN CASE YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO VOTE IN PERSON ON ELECTION DAY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ISSUES ARE TO REVIEW YOUR CANDIDATES AND TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES. THE LEAK HAS SOME RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO ASSIST THAT WE DO A VOTER GUIDE. AND SO ALL THE CANDIDATES WILL BE ASKED TO PARTICIPATE IN A VOTER GUIDE, WHICH IS CALLED VOTE 4, 1, 1, IT'S ONLINE AND WILL BE OUT AFTER THE CANDIDATES ARE FINALIZED IN THE MIDDLE OF JUNE. AND WE ALSO WILL BE HAVING IN LEE COUNTY CANDIDATE FORUMS AND ISSUE FORMS SO THAT PEOPLE CAN PARTICIPATE AND HEAR FROM THE CANDIDATES FIRST HAND AS WELL AS TO LEARN ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT WILL BE ON THE BALLOT. THERE WILL BE SOME VERY CRITICAL ISSUES ON THIS YEAR'S BALLOT. AND I WANT TO SAY FIRST THAT EVERYONE SHOULD THINK ABOUT VOTING AND VOTE IN THE PRIMARY ELECTION BECAUSE DECISIONS WILL BE MADE. SO WHATEVER YOUR PARTY AFFILIATION IS, STILL WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE. A NON-PARTISAN CANDIDATES, INCLUDING THE SCHOOL BOARD AND SOME OF THE CITIES AND SOME OF THOSE VOTES WILL DETERMINE WHO WAS ACTUALLY ELECTED AND IN SOME SITUATIONS THERE WILL BE A GENERAL. THEY WILL GO TO THE GENERAL ELECTION. BUT THERE MAY BE DECISIONS MADE IN THE PRIMARY. SO I WANT TO URGE EVERYONE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PRIMARY ELECTION. AND THEN, OF COURSE, AND THE GENERAL THAT THEY DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON ISSUES THAT IMPACT ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING WEATHER. THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND THE COUNTY SHOULD BE ELECTED AT LARGE AS THEY ARE NOW ARE BY SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS AS HE'S PROPOSED. SO I AGAIN, ALL VOTERS SHOULD BE INFORMED AND PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTION ELECTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE PROCESS TO TAKE SOME REALLY IMPORTANT WORK FOR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US AND BE FRANK. THANK YOU, KATE. MY PLEASURE.