Editorial
Reapportionment changes are solid

After a couple of false starts, the state Reapportionment Commission has come up with a political map for Hawai'i that seems to meet the test of objective fairness to the voters.

The best proof of the worth of the current version is the fact that the plan could pit about a dozen incumbent legislators against each other in next year's elections. That's not a happy prospect for the legislators involved, but it suggests that the commission had other priorities on its mind when it came up with this set of boundaries.

And if the plan ends up wounding incumbents, it will do so on an equal-opportunity basis. Both Republicans and Democrats end up inconvenienced.

The first draft of the reapportionment plan clearly had the interest of incumbents in mind. It bent lines and stretched for population definitions in an effort to keep as many incumbents as possible in their individual home districts. The result was a potential increase in so-called "canoe" districts that jump from one island to another, as well as the use of nonresident military dependents in the population base.

After hearing from the public, the commission went back to the drawing board and came up with a map that better meets the test of one-person, one-vote and district compatibility.

Further problems may emerge when the plan is put out for public hearing in late November before making its final decision on Nov. 30. It is unfortunate that those thinking of running for office next year will get the final word on the political map so late in the year, but at least it will be a map that has its focus on the right place: the voters.