Hispanic group wants Weiner's NY district gone

[The Northerner]

NEW YORK (AP) - The diverse congressional district that Anthony Weiner vacated in the midst of a sexting scandal has become the latest battleground for a Latino organization that is laboring to increase the political clout of Hispanics in Congress.

LatinoJustice PRLDEF, which is involved in redistricting fights in 10 jurisdictions throughout the Northeast and in Florida, is proposing that New York's 9th Congressional District be dissolved as the nation's political map is redrawn to reflect population shifts based on new census data. But such a proposal could irk Democratic leaders and even residents of Weiner's former district themselves.

"Weiner's departure presents probably the best opportunity to not only shore up the Latino and African American representation, but to do so with the least disruption," said Juan Cartagena, president and general counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, a Hispanic civil rights organization.

New York is losing two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives as a result of redistricting, a politically complex and contentious process. The 2010 census showed the state's population grew more slowly than the rest of the country. Hispanics were the only one of three major ethnic groups that grew - by 19 percent.

Read more: http://www.buffalonews.com/wire-feeds/state/article486298.ece

[aquart]

1. How nice. What does AALDEF say?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. Have to wonder if the Voting RIghts Act should be applied nationwide