Alaska redistricting board urged to quickly set final maps for state’s political boundaries

JUNEAU — Eight days after the Alaska Supreme Court ruled the state’s new legislative map unconstitutional, the attorney assisting Alaska’s five-member redistricting board advised making court-ordered fixes before April 15.

The board took no immediate action on Saturday as it met for the first time since the Supreme Court ruling, but the board has a slate of meetings scheduled for the next week and is expected to set a schedule as soon as Monday morning.

“We want this process to be over,” said board member Nicole Borromeo, “and that’s been the message, loud and clear.”

The redistricting board is in charge of redrawing the boundaries of the state’s legislative districts to account for changes in population recorded by the U.S. census.

It finished that work in November, but a lower court and the Supreme Court found that the board’s choices for state Senate boundaries in Anchorage were unconstitutional, the result of a political gerrymander intended to favor Republicans.

Three of the board’s members — Budd Simpson, John Binkley and Bethany Marcum — were appointed by Republican officials. Binkley is the father of the owners of the Daily News.

Borromeo was appointed by former Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, and another board member, Melanie Bahnke, was appointed by former Chief Justice Joel Bolger.

Alaska Senate districts are each made up of two adjacent state House districts, and the board needs to choose new pairings in Anchorage.

June 1 is the deadline for candidates to sign up for this fall’s legislative elections, but without a final map, prospective candidates do not know which communities they may represent.

Members of the public, speaking in public testimony Saturday, urged the board to act quickly.

“The clock is ticking and we’re getting quite close to the filing deadline,” said Kay Brown, a former state legislator speaking to the board.

Borromeo said she understands the hurry and endorses a quick resolution. On Saturday, public testifiers voiced almost unanimous support for a Senate map proposed by Bahnke in November but not adopted by the board.

Borromeo said she believes Bahnke’s proposal could be adopted “in 15 minutes” if the board agrees.

“We’re not over the goal line yet, and we need to wrap this up to provide certainty for candidates who want to run,” she said.

Binkley, reached by text message, said that in his view, the lesson from the court ruling is that the board didn’t take enough time to examine the Senate map.

“I believe we should engage the public, be thoughtful on proposals to cure the problem, and give ample time for the public to respond,” he said.