Citizens Slow to Submit Redistricting Plans as Deadline Nears

For the first time, this year any Tennessean with a computer can take a crack at redrawing voting lines for seats in Congress and the General Assembly. The once-every-decade redistricting process is underway, led by Republicans in the legislature. Despite the opportunity for input, citizens have remained silent.

Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey says in a statement he’s glad to live in a state where “the political will and the technological tools exist to allow this kind of open process.” He’s encouraging citizens to submit their plans but interest has been limited.

It could be because Ramsey is asking for a lot, not just a suggestion about a district here or there that needs fixing. Each privately submitted plan must include all 99 seats in the state House, 33 in the Senate and the state’s nine congressional districts. Among a litany of requirements, the plan has to be accompanied by a breakdown of the racial makeup in each district.

The necessary census data is available at the legislature’s Web site, but a week out from the deadline, no one has turned in a map of their own.

The Tennessee League of Women Voters has put some money on the line for its own redistricting exercise. Entries still have to include considerable detail, though not quite what the legislature is asking for. The competition has attracted several entries. Winners will split $4,000 in prize money.