Commission poised to
sink some canoe districts
in vote tomorrow

The plan excludes military
dependents in the population base

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By Pat Omandam
pomandam@starbulletin.com

Already five weeks behind schedule, the 2001 Reapportionment Commission is expected to vote tomorrow on new political district maps that will remain in place until 2011.

Up for approval are new district boundaries for Hawaii's two U.S. House seats and 76 state legislative seats, as well as a formula to stagger the 25 state Senate seats so only half are up for election at any one time.

Members of the bipartisan panel say Hawaii's reapportionment process went beyond what is required this year when the panel reversed an earlier decision and redrew new maps without multi-island or canoe districts and excluded nonresident military dependents from the population base.

The commission held a second round of statewide public hearings before it put the finishing touches on the redistricting maps last night.

"I would say it's an excellent plan," said Jill Frierson, commission vice chairwoman.

"It accomplishes two really important things, one of which is new. And that was to eliminate, once and for all, canoe districts outside of county lines," Frierson said, noting the other accomplishment was the way it determined the population base.

Commissioner David Rae said removal of most canoe districts answered a lot of concerns about splitting communities between islands. He called the process fair and dynamic compared with most other states where its Legislature -- and thus its controlling political party -- decide how to redraw the political districts.

Locally, a computerized interactive mapping system made drawing new boundaries much quicker and easier than a decade ago, when slower computers made it difficult to make any changes once proposed district maps were printed.

David Rosenbrock, reapportionment project manager, said this new system gave the commission more time to consider its decisions -- which it did.

"The (state) Constitution only calls for one set of hearings, and that really gives them the latitude to do what the heck they want," Rosenbrock said.

"And I think this commission -- because of the technology -- has had the opportunity to make a decision, reconsider that decision based on public testimony, and go back," he said.

Technology aside, the commission may ask the state Legislature to approve a constitutional amendment that defines exactly what is a "permanent resident" for reapportionment purposes. Currently, that decision is left to the commission.

The lack of a clear-cut definition cost the panel valuable time this summer. Initially, the commission voted 5-4 in August to include nonresident military dependents in the population base. But a month later, after receiving criticism at public hearings, it reversed itself and removed these dependents from the mix.

The commission plans to submit its final redistricting plan to the Office of Elections on Dec. 14.