Congress district proposals outlined
| • | Map: Proposed changes to Congressional districts |
By Lynda Arakawa and Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Kaua'i and Ni'ihau would fall into a congressional district that includes the bulk of O'ahu under the most radical of three proposals being considered by the Hawai'i Reapportionment Commission.
Referred to as the "North/South" proposal, the plan is significantly different from the state's congressional configuration that now places all the Neighbor Islands in a single district along with rural O'ahu.
The commission is considering three proposals for dividing the population as it redraws boundaries to equalize the political base for Hawai'i's two congressional districts. The nine-member bipartisan commission will ultimately redraw boundaries in the 51 state House districts, 25 state Senate districts and two congressional districts on the basis of the 2000 Census. Districts are redrawn every 10 years following the census.
The commission yesterday publicly discussed the three congressional district plans, one of them drawing criticism because it was proposed by U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink, who represents the 2nd Congressional District.
That plan would add Waimanalo and Kapolei/'Ewa Beach to District 1, which is represented by U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie. Mink's area of Congressional District 2 would get Waipahu — a traditionally Democratic district — and the rest of O'ahu and the Neighbor Islands.
Some of the 50 people attending the meeting asked the commissioners why Mink, who may run for re-election, was given the opportunity to propose a redistricting plan. Commission members said anyone has an opportunity to submit proposals through the commission's Web site.
The more "traditional" of the three plans under consideration generally keeps district boundaries intact but would extend the 1st Congressional District westward to include more of Waipahu. The district would run from 'Ewa and 'Ewa Beach up to Mililani and eastward to Hawai'i Kai.
The plan would move 35,000 to 40,000 residents from the 2nd District into the 1st District.
Commission Chairman Wayne Minami said the traditional plan would probably have the most public support because it calls for the least amount of change.
The "North/South" proposal would have District 1 comprise East Honolulu up to the Windward side near the H-3 Freeway, along with Maui, Lana'i, Moloka'i and the Big Island. District 2 would comprise the remainder of O'ahu as well as Kaua'i and Ni'ihau.
The commission plans to select one of the proposals next week before holding statewide public hearings. The commission will also present proposals for the new legislative districts next week.
The proposals for the congressional districts will be placed on the commission's Web site Monday. A final vote by the commission on all the redistricting proposals will take place Oct. 4.
At an earlier meeting of the Reapportionment Advisory Council yesterday, Maui members said they were unhappy with recent commission decisions that they say will mean Neighbor Island residents will be underrepresented despite large population gains on Maui and the Big Island during the past decade.
Advisory council members from Maui protested the commission's vote last month to include approximately 80,000 resident aliens as part of the general population to determine the new voting boundaries. The Maui group also protested the commission's decision to exclude active-duty military people from the population base, but include about 41,000 nonresident military family members.
Adding those two groups would increase the O'ahu population, meaning less representation on the Neighbor Islands, said Maui's Madge Schaefer.
"Excluding those two groups, and it possibly gives each Neighbor Island an extra (state) house district and give Kaua'i a full district instead of being part of a 'canoe' district," Schaefer said. By "canoe" district, she was referring to apportionment that allows a state legislator to represent an area made up of two or more islands.
