Victory for Fair Districting in Florida; Citizens United on the Ballot in California

In 2010, Florida voters overwhelmingly approved constitutional amendments to make the redistricting process non-partisan and fairer. Finally, in late 2015, a circuit judge affirmed a new map for the state's 40 Senate districts that reflect those amendments and that will end decades of gerrymandering and partisan politics.

The map was proposed by the League of Women Voters and Common Cause, which have been working for years to make sure voters' voices are heard. CWA and allies also joined the fight to force the state to follow the will of the voters and ensure fairer districts.

In his Dec. 30 decision, Leon County Circuit Court Judge George Reynolds rejected an alternate plan proposed by the Republican-controlled Senate, noting that the Senate proposal was marked by "impermissible partisan intent" and violated the measures passed by voters in 2010.

Republicans still are considering an appeal, a move the Tampa Tribune, in an editorial, said, "would surely add to the $8 million in legal fees the Legislature has wasted over several years trying to gain approval of the flawed maps it produced."

"For the sake of the taxpayers, if nothing else, legislative leaders should end the redistricting battle and begin implementing the Senate map Circuit Judge George Reynolds approved last week. Not only would it save tax dollars and end years of chaos, it would mean the state will finally have Senate districts that adhere to the Fair District amendments voters passed in 2010."

Read more here. 

In California, the state Supreme Court ruled that voters will be able to weigh in on a ballot initiative urging Congress to amend the Constitution to reverse the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which has allowed a flood of big money to devastate our political process.

The state legislature first put Proposition 49, also known as the "Overturn Citizens United Act," on the ballot nearly three years ago, yet a conservative group sued and was able to pull the measure before voters had a chance to cast their ballots. Now voters will have their say.