AIRC Update: A plan to divide and conquer Baja Arizona

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Pima County should be represented by persons who actually reside in Pima County. Under the legislative district "draft map" adopted by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) on Monday, much of Pima County could wind up with representatives who reside in surrounding counties, significantly diluting the influence of Pima County in the Arizona legislature. One might even be tempted to argue this is a plan to divide and conquer Baja Arizona. OK, I will.

For map details see Draft Maps.

As you can see from the map above, Pima County has only three districts wholly contained within Pima County, in the Tucson metropolitan area: Legislative Districts 3, 9 and 10. In each of these districts, the Democratic "blue island" of the City of Tucson is diluted with unincorporated areas of Pima County that tend to vote Republican. Districts 9 and 10 are designed to be "competitive" districts. District 3 is a Voting Rights Act district.

The Eastern side of Pima County is included in District 1, which is dominated by Cochise and Graham Counties in a solidly Republican district.

The Western side of Pima County is included in District 4, a Voting Rights Act district, which takes in the Southern half of Yuma County and the Southwestern corner of Maricopa County (into the West suburbs of the Phoenix metropolitan area), which may come to dominate this district over the next decade.

The Northern side of Pima County is included in Districts 8 and 11, dominated by Pinal County which has evolved from being solidly Democratic for generations to solidly Republican with new arrivals surpassing long-time native Arizonans.

A central swath of Pima County from South Tucson down the I-19 corridor is included in District 2, an obviously gerrymandered district to pack Hispanics in Pima County, Santa Cruz County, and the border region of Cochise County into a Voting Rights Act district. There is a good chance that representatives from this district may not reside in Pima County.

So the best case scenario is that Pima County may have five districts represented by persons who reside within Pima County.

The worst case scenario is that Pima County may have only three districts represented by persons who reside within Pima County, limited to the Tucson metropolitan area.

But there is a "nuclear option" scenario, one in which Republicans who are subservient to their masters from the state of Maricopa, as are our current Southern Arizona Republican representatives, capture the two competitive districts 9 and 10 with Republican votes from unincorporated areas of Pima County to represent the Democratic 'blue island" of Tucson. Tucson will effectively be disenfranchised by our colonial overlords from the state of Maricopa. And Pima County may be left with only District 3, a small redoubt on Tucson's Southwest side.

Republicans will have achieved their long cherished goal of breaking the back of the Democratic stronghold of Pima County, through artful redistricting.

If there was ever a reason to support the Baja Arizona statehood movement, this is it.

The map is not final. Your testimony to keep Pima County represented by Pima County residents is needed. And check out former State Representative Tom Prezelski's Facebook open group page, Tucson Should be Represented By Tucsonans.