WASHINGTON -- Among the issues that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will take to a special referendum election next fall is that of reapportionment. Specifically, the Gubernator wants to change the way California draws its district lines for representation in the state legislature and in the Congress. He wants to take the task of drawing districts out of the hands of the politicians who are elected by the very districting they create and give it to judges. The present system is just too cozy, Schwarzenegger believes, as it results in noncompetitive congressional seats that become Democratic or Republican when the districts are created and don't change until the next redistricting.
In the last election in California, not a single seat changed in the Congress or the state legislature: All incumbents won. In all U.S. House races in 2004, only seven of 401 incumbents lost. Only 22 races were decided by a margin of less than 10 percentage points.
Schwarzenegger is not alone in his concern over the lack of competitive legislative seats. If you are a Republican who lives in Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman's district, you may as well never vote. Your vote will be in vain, because Waxman enjoys a safe seat, winning by margins greater than 60 percent every election. The converse is true in Republican districts. And it is discouraging to voters as well as the governor. With data so robust and computing power so available, districts can be drawn with great numeric equality and just about any political persuasion one might want.