Safe seats.

• Author: Peters, Charles
• Position: Tilting at Windmills - The results created by redistricting - Brief Article

In 1992, 19 House members lost elections. Ten years later, in 2002, the figure had dropped to eight, and four of those lost to other incumbents in elections brought about by redistricting. Redistricting by state legislatures to create safe districts for one party or another is a major cause of the excessive incumbent survival Pate. Texas, where the Republicans seem to have succeeded in depriving the Democrats of six seats, is the most recent example. The Chicago Tribune's Steve Chapman has an answer to this problem: have redistricting done by independent commissions. I'm ordinarily wary of legislatures delegating...