Scott Brown on redistricting

Senator Scott Brown sent a letter to the chairs of the redistricting committee today advocating for a majority-minority seat in Suffolk County and encouraging the committee to avoid the problems that occurred during the last phase of redistricting. You can read the entire letter below.

I am writing to you today to express my view on redistricting and particularly on the need to give voice to every citizen in Massachusetts.

Redistricting involves more than simply drawing lines on a map. It involves preserving the most sacred right in a free society: the right to participate in our government based on the principle of one person, one vote. I recognize there are many interests that you must weigh and balance as you undertake the difficult job of redistricting, but ensuring that all voters have an equal voice and an equal vote in Congress and on Beacon Hill should be our highest priority. Unfortunately, that hasn’t always been the case in Massachusetts.

The federal Voting Rights Act was written as a major piece of civil rights legislation to ensure that no person’s political power would be diminished because of the color of their skin. In 2004, the federal courts found that the Massachusetts House of Representatives enacted a state redistricting plan that illegally diluted minority voting power in House districts. The current congressional map contains districts that are not geographically compact and whose lines swerve irrationally around the state so that the only logical conclusion is that it was drawn for the purpose of protecting incumbents.

It is my hope that any redistricting for congressional or state legislative seats will result in districts that avoid diluting the voting strength of citizens based on the color of their skin. In the interest of fairness, a new congressional district centered in Suffolk County that creates a majority-minority seat under the Voting Rights Act should be seriously considered, as well as an increase in the number of state Senate and House seats where persons of color constitute a majority vote. I believe you have already heard on this matter from many advocacy groups representing minority voters in Massachusetts, as well as from other concerned citizens, and I want to add my voice to theirs.