Press Release from Pima County Democratic Party

Release: Pima Dems Present Legislative Map Recommendations to Redistricting Commission


Renouncing GOP dirty tricks, PCDP makes appeal directly to IRC, the public for fair and competitive maps


TUCSON – The Pima County Democratic Party today announced that is has provided three legislative map recommendations to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission for consideration. The move comes less than two weeks after a report revealed GOP Senator Vince Leach’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering to coordinate public support for a gerrymandered, Pima GOP Vice Chair-submitted map configuration that would ensure the incumbent Senator’s placement in a safe, Republican-dominant district.

Two of the maps have been posted to the IRC’s public redistricting portal and are labeled LD0082 and LD0083. The third is a version of the map considered by the Commission earlier in the process. The recommendations made for each map centers primarily on the makeup of D17, creating three distinct options for a Pima County-based, highly competitive legislative district: one with a slight Democratic advantage, one with a slight Republican advantage, and one with a near-perfect 50/50 split. All versions would better reflect the impacted communities than the D17 in the official IRC draft map.

  • LD0082: Slight Democratic advantage in D17, composed of Pinal communities Saddlebrooke, Oracle, San Manuel, and Mammoth; Pima communities Oro Valley, Casas Adobes, Catalina. Highly competitive with slight Democratic performance advantage.
  • LD0083: Slight Republican advantage in D17, composed solely of Pima County communities: Picture Rocks, Marana, Oro Valley, Casas Adobes, Catalina. Highly competitive district with slight Republican performance advantage.
  • IRC Test Map 9.0: 50/50 Democrat-Republican split in D17, composed of the Pinal community of Saddlebrooke, and Pima communities of Marana, Oro Valley, Casas Adobes, and Catalina.

The full submission letter detailing each map can be found here.


Pima County Democratic Party Chair Bonnie Heidler released the following statement:

“The Pima County Dems are excited to share these maps with the Commission and with the public. While some of our Republican counterparts have opted to obscure or misrepresent their efforts to influence the IRC, PCDP has nothing to hide. We are proud of Arizona’s voter-created, voter-protected independent redistricting process. The revelation of Senator Leach’s improper and unethical efforts to secure his own re-election is, unfortunately, just the latest attempt in Republicans’ decade-long attack on fair maps and independent redistricting.

We believe strongly that each of our three recommended maps upholds the Arizona constitutional criteria. They reflect Pima County’s many diverse communities of interest, are compact and contiguous, utilize existing geographic boundaries, provide for competitiveness, and retain southern Arizona’s three majority-Latino legislative districts, in compliance with the US Voting Rights Act. These are districts for the voters — not incumbent legislators.”

CALL TO ACTION | Petition

TELL THE IRC NOT TO HIRE A MAPPING CONSULTANT WHO WILL ENDANGER FAIR MAPS

Arizona was one of the first states to initiate a nonpartisan, independent redistricting commission. Thousands of Arizonans supported a citizen initiative to secure a more fair and transparent redistricting process – but right now fair maps are in danger.

The IRC (Independent Redistricting Commission) is voting on Tuesday to choose their mapping consultant, an important part of the team to draw fair maps! One of the three firms they could hire is Timmons Group + National Demographic Corporation (NDC). The NDC has been involved with bad maps that do not follow mandated mapping criteria and undermine representation for communities of color. They have defended maps that were deemed unfair in litigation in courts across the country. Our Independent Redistricting Commission has a responsibility to hire staff and consultants who will act in the best interest of all Arizonans and will draw fair and equitable maps.

Send a message to the Independent Redistricting Commission: Do not hire a mapping consultant who will endanger fair maps!

Click to Sign Comment Directly to IRC

SUBMIT COMMENT TO THE IRC BY 5 PM THURSDAY

Why should NDC have nothing to do with Arizona’s maps? Let’s take a look at their track record:

·         In the landmark 2018 California voting rights case Luna v Kern County, a US District Court Judge ruled that the redistricting plan defended by the NDC President unlawfully denied Latinos the ability to elect candidates of their choice. The Judge deemed Johnson’s testimony and data to be “insufficient.” [Source] [Source]

·         As the mapping consultant to the first Arizona IRC in 2001, NDC produced two legislative maps that were later thrown out. The ’02 map was rejected for failing to comply with the US Voting Rights Act, and the ’04 map was thrown out after it was ruled unconstitutional. The 2001 IRC Vice-Chair Andi Minkoff later testified that the Commission was “manipulated” by NDC into drawing non-competitive maps. [Source] [Source] [Source]

The IRC must uphold the trust of Arizonans throughout the redistricting process. Allowing National Demographics Corporation and Doug Johnson anywhere near our maps would immediately undermine that trust.

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