Alaska’s Redistricting process may finally be finished, just in time for candidates to file for state office by the June 1 deadline. The most contentious element was the pairing of Anchorage House districts together to benefit Republicans. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled yesterday, for the second time, the board had engaged in quote “partisan gerrymandering. “intentionally discriminated against Girdwood and South Anchorage in order to maximize senate representation for Eagle River and the Republican party.”
The latest ruling comes after a bitter fight over the weekend where two of the five board members Nicole Borromeo and Melanie Bahnke filed their own legal motion against the board for freezing them out of the process.
Although the most controversy was with Anchorage maps, the Interior had its own share of discontent with the way districts were drawn.
Statewide journalist Matt Buxton has been meticulously following the Redistricting Board, the lawsuits against the proposed maps and the way it has responded to court rulings.
He says the board held a brief meeting yesterday afternoon to comply with the Supreme Court’s direction to make the legislative districts more even.
