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Hispanics a force in Nevada's redistricting
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John Locher/Las Vegas Review-Journal
People attend a public hearing on redistricting Saturday in Las Vegas. The hearing drew more than 50 people. Legislators also held sessions on redistricting in Carson City, Fallon and Reno. » Buy this photo
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Apr. 3, 2011 | 8:17 a.m.
Pack 'em or crack 'em?
That's one question Nevada lawmakers face when it comes to redistricting and the state's expanding Hispanic population, now a powerful political force here and nationwide.
Latinos, now 26.5 percent of Nevada's population, want their own congressional district as the state gains a fourth House seat. That would pack Latinos together, giving them a better chance to elect Nevada's first Hispanic congressman.
Or lawmakers could continue to split Hispanics among the newly drawn House districts. That would make Latinos swing voters in each, giving Democrats an edge over Republicans, especially for the three seats in populous Southern Nevada.
That may explain why Democrats in the Legislature -- many elected thanks to Latinos -- are skeptical about creating a concentrated "minority-majority" congressional district, and why Republicans are all for it.
"We want a Hispanic district. Why not give it to them?" state Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, asked recently.
Yet even state Sen. Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, a Latino whose district is 75 percent Hispanic by design, isn't sure about drawing a congressional district with as many Latinos as legally possible.
"I think we need to do whatever's fair," said Denis, who previously served in an Assembly district formed to favor Hispanics. "The emphasis should be on representing the entire community. At the same time, you don't want to split up the Hispanic community."
What to do about Latinos is one of the many issues lawmakers must deal with as they redraw the political map to evenly divide the population among electoral districts after the 2010 census showed Nevada has 2.7 million people. They also must decide whether to expand the Legislature beyond 21 state Senate and 42 Assembly seats to account for record growth in Clark County -- now 1.9 million people -- or to shift one state Senate seat and one Assembly seat from North to South.
On Saturday, lawmakers held the last of four scheduled public hearings on redistricting in Las Vegas, drawing more than 50 people. The others were in Carson City, Fallon and Reno.
Suggested maps
Several interest groups presented proposed maps, including one that likely wouldn't pass legal or political muster because it would create four new vertical congressional districts stretching from North to South.
Now begins the highly partisan work of redrawing the lines, done largely behind closed doors -- although state Sen. David Parks, D-Las Vegas, chairman of the Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections, said there may be more hearings after lawmakers roll out proposed computerized maps.
The legal goal is to ensure that each representative has roughly the same number of constituents, allowing each voter equal power at the ballot box. The political goal is to rejigger the lines to protect incumbents from defeat by making their districts safer -- whether more Republican or more Democrat -- and to maneuver for electoral gains until the next census, in 2020.
Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, the state's first Hispanic governor, has said he would veto any redistricting plan the Democratic-led Legislature passes if he thinks it's unfair.
"It'll probably all end up in court," Assemblyman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, chairman of the Assembly Legislative Operations and Elections Committee handling redistricting, has said. "But we'll do our best to make it fair."
Segerblom and Parks have both said they don't know if it's possible or wise to create a minority-majority Hispanic district. Expert mapmakers, however, have shown the 1st Congressional District can be shaped to make it 50 percent Latino, including children too young to vote and an unknown number of illegal immigrants.
Among Hispanics, it's not a question of political affiliation. Tibi Ellis, chairwoman of the Hispanic GOP caucus, and Fernando Romero, a Democrat and Latino activist, are allies in pushing for a Hispanic House seat.
'A community of interest'
"We should be counted as a community of interest," Romero said before the hearing. "Children are counted. Adults are counted. Senior citizens are counted. What that translates to in my mind is that Hispanics count."
Ellis said she suspects Democrats might not like the idea of stronger, focused Hispanic representation because the party fears losing the Latino vote if it fails to deliver as promised on immigration reform and other issues. She noted that Hispanics often vote as a bloc -- for Barack Obama in 2008, but also for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.
"There's no guarantee that Hispanics are going to stay Democrat," Ellis said. "And Republicans, we're always working to recapture the Hispanic vote. I'm not sure we've done a good job of that in the past."
Now, the 1st Congressional District is 37.2 percent Hispanic. The 3rd Congressional District is 23 percent Hispanic. And the 2nd Congressional District, covering all of Nevada except Clark County, is 20.4 percent Hispanic. All three districts are overpopulated after a decade of growth, especially the 3rd Congressional District, which is the largest in the nation at 1,043,855 people.
After reapportionment, each of the state's four congressional districts should have 675,138 residents.
Former Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat who served in the state Senate for 20 years and went through redistricting sessions in 1991 and 2001, said that dealing with minorities usually comes down to a decision of "packing them or cracking them" in redistricting parlance. She said it doesn't surprise her that Democrats would want to keep Hispanics spread out because they're integrated in the community. That also would make it easier to craft three Southern Nevada districts that favor Democrats.
"Democrats talk a lot about drawing three Democratic districts, but I'd be surprised if the governor goes for that," said Titus, who teaches political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and may run for Congress again. "There are 100 maps out there, but none of them will pass unless there's some deal."
Titus and other experts predict the new congressional map for the 2012 election will include two safe Democratic seats in Southern Nevada -- the 1st and the new 4th -- and two that lean Republican. The GOP seats would be the 2nd Congressional District covering Northern Nevada and GOP Rep. Joe Heck's 3rd Congressional District seat, which he'll likely want to keep.
Contact Laura Myers at lmyers @reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.
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If they make the 13 most Latino Clark County districts into one US representative district it will only be 47% hispanic. CC districts 28,11,14,12,19,7,9,6,3,42,8,15,18 (679K total population). Of course, there is a possibility that the other 3 congressman will be Republican.
Joe C...You talk allot but as usual, you say nothing. Exactly what percentage of the Hispanic population that was counted in the 2010 Census is here illegally? How many illegals cast a vote in, say yesterday's municipal elections? And please be able to back up these numbers with something. By the way there are a certain percentage of the whites who are here illegally as well as a certain percentage of white voters engaged in some sort of illegal activity. Should we ignore them when redistricting?
@ Native. Las Vegan..Why would I care about mrability and his statement especially since my wife is Hispanic/Mexican born here? I have no reason to get sucked into that stupidity. I’m more insulted at attempts by one ethnic group or any group disingenuous tactics to stop dialogue or discussion hindering fact finding concerning costs etc on issues. Concerning illegal aliens that would be Hispanics and I didn’t misdirect anything. Obama is walking a very narrow line concerning illegals and not wanting to alienate the Hispanic vote; I believe is overrated. I actually watch Fox and MSNBC and while I’m not happy, at all, with republicans the democrats certainly turn my stomach more. You are free to believe illegals using fake or stolen ID’s don’t vote but common sense certainly dictates a different thought. I believe politicians are dishonest but I don’t have proof but common sense and our country’s issues dictate a real possibility.
Joe C - Like most right wing extremists that post on this forum, you have an innate way of attempting to distract from the point being discussed by redirecting attention using half-truths. Bush pushing for amnesty has nothing to do with my point that even in the face of OBVIOUS election fraud republicans turned a blind eye and shrugged their shoulders. However, I have yet to see ANY proof that Obama has allowed ILLEGALS to vote in order to become elected. (FYI...The mere fact that Hannity, Limbaugh or Beck have said so on their political kiddie shows doesn't prove anything.) As for pandering to the LEGAL Latino vote, Obama is welcome to that just as republicans are welcome to pander to corporations and the rich. All is fair in politics and war. (By the way...take a look at the comment below yours from mrability. Isn't it nice to have that kind of mentality on "your side"???)
@ Native.Las Vegan,, Actually Obama using the Hispanic vote isn’t unbelievable but true. Especially since Hispanics are flaunting a not so true voting block and power and they have claimed illegal immigration as their issue. Obama is smart to at least show sympathy to their cause and act like he will take action favoring the criminals in order to get votes. But it was Bush and some republicans/democrats that pushed amnesty but the outcry from more than half the country stopped that insanity and Obama certainly is playing a good game but their will be no amnesty. Sorry but your statement is rather ignorant about the reality and game playing of this issue.
I love all these comments that immigration is being put on the back burner so Obama can use illegals' votes to secure his presidential re-election. Could anything be more unbelievably ignorant? Oh - I guess accusing our prseident of being a Muslim is right up there, too. So, if Obama is the "Annointed One" thanks to a bunch of illegal voters, then wouldn't Bush be the "Self-Annointed One" thanks to the Florida voting fiasco???
I thought "separate, but equal" was done away with long ago in this country? Why should race be taken into consideration when drawing congressional districts? In doing this, the government is implying that a legislator from one race will not fairly represent citizens of another race. This is an incredible shameful and offensive implication. Of all people, elected officials should know better. I believe that most of American society has advanced past this sort of shameful racism. Sadly, many Nevada Legislators have not.
@nancy…Actually when using the projected demographic change as a threat or using it to force us into accepting illegal immigration, which is a racist agenda, is rather nasty and Nazi like. But you are correct I could have easily had a mixed child or grandchild since my wife of twenty years is Mexican, or Hispanic. My wife one of the Hispanic who are called coconuts by other Hispanics since she doesn’t accept the mob mentality of illegal immigration or their agendas. If we are talking about treatment perhaps this link will enlighten you about the agendas of some Hispanic organizations like La Raza and I or my wife will not accept Nazi like behavior or racism for anyone. --- http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/hispanicleaders.asp --- You made the threats to concerning people already treating us poorly and future threats, I just gave you real facts and reality.
Merkel in Germany, Sarcozy in France and Cameron in the U.K. are all on record very recently saying that multiculturalism does not work.
All of these three nations have embraced people of different ethnicity only to find that integration into their society has proved to be problematic.
In England, for instance, the second generation Indians and Pakistanis seem dreadfully unhappy to be in that country to the point where home-grown extremists decided to bomb the public transit systems.
I believe that while we accommodate the demands other cultures to be separate from the indigenous culture then they will continue to be so.
I really believe that if anyone can buck the trend seen in Europe, then it is us here in the United States, but we need to set down some guidelines for immigrants.
What is that saying? When in Rome...
joe C..First I'm a blue eyed natural blonde, with a surname to match.. but I have members of my family who aren"t, as do a very large number of other families do.. you can limit imagration to blue eyed blondes, but you can't stop the fact that white is not a dominate color and soon brown will be the color of america...or are you going to deny the very probability that; you too wiill one day ;could very well have a "brown" grandchild or do you suport nazism and teach that only true american is a blone blue eyed, with the "right" surname