Associated Press HONOLULU — New political maps being proposed by the state Reapportionment Commission would shift an Oahu state Senate seat to Hawaii Island and put two Democrats into the same Senate district in the Makiki-Moiliili area. ADVERTISING On the
Associated Press
HONOLULU — New political maps being proposed by the state Reapportionment Commission would shift an Oahu state Senate seat to Hawaii Island and put two Democrats into the same Senate district in the Makiki-Moiliili area.
On the House side, five pairs of incumbents would find themselves in the same districts — two more pairs than proposed in the plan that was approved last year but thrown out by the state Supreme Court.
The state Reapportionment Commission meets today to present the plans to the public. The maps were posted online Tuesday.
Under the new plan, Democratic Sen. Carol Fukunaga of Lower Makiki-Punchbowl and Democratic Sen. Brian Taniguchi of Moiliili-Manoa would see their districts combined on Oahu, as a new open Senate seat is created in Puna-South Hilo and Volcano.
New maps were needed after the Supreme Court on Jan. 4 tossed out the redistricting plan approved last year by the commission. The court sided with Hawaii Island plaintiffs who argued the commission included too many nonpermanent residents, military members, their dependents, and nonresident students in the population count used for determining the number of seats allotted to each island.
Including those nonresidents, plaintiffs argued, maintained a greater population base on Oahu and negated population gains on Hawaii Island that should result in the island gaining a state Senate seat.
Public comment will be accepted at two meetings next week, one each on Oahu and the Big Island, before the commission is expected to approve the plan on Feb. 23.
