Census should guide election boundaries

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 19, 2012

~~<p>The state Supreme Court's ruling in January that determined how boundary lines should be drawn for this year's election in August made scant reference to the agency created primarily for that purpose: the U.S. Census Bureau. That is why a lawsuit in federal court should result in the prompt ordering of the lines to be redrawn to conform with the nationally customary method of including military and out-of-town students in the population count, in time for the upcoming elections.</p>
<p>The candidate filing period for the Aug. 11 primary election runs until June 5, so the redistricting lines must be drawn by that time to allow ballots to be sent to citizens overseas. Both sides in the case will argue back and forth on paper over the next three weeks and are to make final arguments on May 18 before three federal judges. A quick appeal would go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.</p>
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The state Supreme Court's ruling in January that determined how boundary lines should be drawn for this year's election in August made scant reference to the agency created primarily for that purpose: the U.S. Census Bureau. That is why a lawsuit in federal court should result in the prompt ordering of the lines to be redrawn to conform with the nationally customary method of including military and out-of-town students in the population count, in time for the upcoming elections.

The candidate filing period for the Aug. 11 primary election runs until June 5, so the redistricting lines must be drawn by that time to allow ballots to be sent to citizens overseas. Both sides in the case will argue back and forth on paper over the next three weeks and are to make final arguments on May 18 before three federal judges. A quick appeal would go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. Login for more...