Casso Calls for Independent Commission for Redistricting Issue...

Ed Casso

Today Rep. Ed Casso (D-Commerce City) filed a bill title with the Colorado General Assembly’s Legislative Legal Services for the 2012 regular legislative session. This bill seeks to move constitutional authority of Redistricting out the Colorado General Assembly and into an appointed, independent commission.

The 2011 legislative session of the Colorado General Assembly was marred by the inability of the two political parties and their leadership to come up with a compromise and fulfill the General Assembly’s constitutional obligation to redraw congressional districts after the Federal Census. Rep. Casso noted “I am highly disappointed that we were unwilling or unable to find common ground in a divided assembly. We as leaders and policymakers must permanently remove the politics associated with this process; we must look at different ways to fulfill our citizens’ right to have this process done in a timely, efficient, and effective manner. Let’s work together to establish a new way of doing Redistricting; one that promotes public trust, removes political gamesmanship, and allows the General Assembly to redirect its’ focus on doing the peoples’ work.”

The proposed change by Rep. Casso will require significant process to be enacted. A constitutional referred measure will require a 2/3 majority vote of both the Colorado House and Senate, and pass a majority vote of the people of Colorado in the 2012 General Election.