Corrine Brown ("D"-FL) wants to put the brakes on fair redistricting

[FLAprogressive]

TALLAHASSEE – Democratic U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown was being facetious when she described her meandering congressional district stretching from Jacksonville to Gainesville, Sanford and the outskirts of Orlando as the "most popular" in America.

But the nine-county curiosity is certainly one of the most important.

It was Exhibit A as backers of the Fair Districts Florida campaign to end political gerrymandering spent millions of dollars to pass their constitutional reforms last fall. And while Brown's district won't be on trial this summer, the 10-term congresswoman is a plaintiff in a lawsuit to invalidate the reforms that could make it harder to preserve her seat.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-capview-column072411-20110722,0,5345102.column

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Shit like this only puts more Republicans in power. When you concentrate all Dem voters into one long district (see also: NC-12), you create a BUNCH of solid red districts (and how well has that worked out for minorities?).

I think it's time to rein in race-based Gerrymandering (and all gerrymandering, for that matter) to the point where we're not getting districts like this:

[ejpoeta]

1. i think this is bs everywhere. letting them pick their voters instead of letting the voters pick th

reps. i think every state should have an independent board to do the redistricting fair and square so that no party can pick and choose and have the advantage.

[HockeyMom]

2. Part of Collier is districted into Dade

Opposite coasts. Why? The part that is lumped into Miami is Golden Gate which is majority Hispanic, poor, and Democrats. This way they can assure that Collier stays Republican.

[FLAprogressive]

3. And they use the Voting Rights Act as a weapon to insure more Republican districts