Voting Rights Act expert releases final report'

August 10th 6:30 am | Alaska Newspapers Staff

A final report on the proposed state legislative redistricting plans, by Voting Rights Act expert Lisa Handley, was released on Monday by the Alaska Redistricting Board.

The report will play an important role in the board's submission to the Justice Department requesting preclearance under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, said Taylor Bickford, executive director of the board.

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires that certain states, including Alaska, submit changes to their electoral processes and redistricting plans for preclearance from the Justice Department to ensure that the proposed change is free from discriminatory purpose and will not result in retrogression in the position of racial minorities with respect to their exercise of the electoral franchise.

Hadnley was hired by the board in April to provide guidance in meeting the standards established by Section 5. Her report includes an analysis of voting patterns by race in recent Alaska elections and a detailed explanation of her determination that "the Alaska state legislative plans passed by the Alaska Redistricting Board are not retrogressive and therefore do not violate Section 5 of the act."

An electronic copy of her report is available for download at http://www.akredistricting.org/Files/Final-Reporti-of-Dr-Lisa-Handley.pdf

Alaska Newspapers Staff can be reached at editor@alaskanewspapers.com, or by phone at 907-348-2449

Copyright 2012 • The Arctic Sounder is a publication of Alaska Media, LLC. This site, its design and contents are © 2012 and may not be reproduced without written permission of the publisher and owner, including duplication on not-for-profit websites. Alaska Media, LLC may not own copyright to portions of articles published; those sections are reproduced here with permission and Alaska Media, LLC makes no provisions for further distribution.

The Arctic Sounder - Serving the Northwest Arctic and the North Slope - A publication of Alaska Media, LLC, Alaska's rural news leader.

Copyright 2012 The Arctic Sounder is a publication of Alaska Media, LLC. This article is © 2012 and limited reproduction rights for personal use are granted for this printing only. This article, in any form, may not be further reproduced without written permission of the publisher and owner, including duplication for not-for-profit purposes. Portions of this article may belong to other agencies; those sections are reproduced here with permission and Alaska Media, LLC makes no provisions for further distribution.