Activists from all over the state are upset with legislative redistricting plans that would cause their communities to be represented by elected officials who are not like them. But John Maginnis says this remixing of constituencies is unavoidable as the Legislature carves out new districts to reflect population shifts. “Under the fairest plan, there will always be communities divided and their residents represented by politicians of different races, parties and parishes,” Maginnis says. “It is unavoidable, but also can be healthy. As much as the membership of the Legislature needs to be diverse, so too should be constituencies, so that lawmakers have to look out for more than a single community of interests and to consider the needs of the region and the state.” Read the full column here.
(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)
