‘I think our party is being bully-ish’: Kansas legislator critical of congressional maps headed to Laura Kelly
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The Kansas House voted Wednesday to send a Republican-authored set of congressional districts to Gov. Laura Kelly, with one GOP member opposing the maps, calling them "bullying."
The 79-37 vote wouldn't be enough to override a veto from Gov. Laura Kelly, with one member, Rep. Randy Garber, R-Sabetha, opposing the maps and two other Republican members voting present.
Four Republicans and three Democrats missed the vote for a variety of reasons.
The map backed by House and Senate Republican leaders, dubbed "Ad Astra," would most controversially move part of Wyandotte County from the 3rd District into the 2nd District.
More: Critics worry over plan to lump Lawrence with other college towns — and rural western Kansas
To balance out that switch, much of Lawrence, as well as Jackson and Jefferson counties, would leave the 2nd District and move into the 1st District, which runs to the Colorado border, encompassing much of western Kansas.
Change was inevitable in the 3rd District, as population growth in the Kansas City, Mo., metro area resulted in the district swelling to 57,000 people more than allowed.
House Speaker Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe, said he wasn't worried about overriding a potential veto from Kelly. Eighty-four votes are needed in the House to overturn a veto, and Kansas Senate leaders have said they are confident they have the two-thirds majority to do so in their chamber.
"We're in good shape," Ryckman said after the vote.
More: Proposed Kansas redistricting maps clear Senate, with Gov. Laura Kelly, courts waiting in the wings
But Garber told The Capital-Journal that he felt the map was wrong for Kansas and criticized the decision to move Lawrence to the 1st District, carving up part of his legislative district in the process.
Garber offered several alternate maps as floor amendments Tuesday, all of which were ultimately rejected.
"I think our party is being bully-ish about this and not considering everybody else," Garber said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., told The Capital-Journal he was "watching the process and interested in the outcome" but had no specific comment on maps that would significantly alter the makeup of the 2nd Congressional District he represents.
"I love the district that I represent," LaTurner said following an anti-abortion rally at the Statehouse Tuesday. "But I understand, because of the census results, there have to be changes."
Democrats slam maps, as Republicans point to ‘math problem’
A steady stream of Democrats have objected to the finished product, arguing it dilutes the voting power of minority voters, not just in Kansas City, Kan., but also in Lawrence.
During a four-hour debate Tuesday, Rep. Dan Osman, D-Overland Park, termed the map "hopelessly, completely gerrymandered" and Rep. Tom Burroughs, D-Kansas City, Kan., called it "shameful."
The Douglas County delegation was particularly incensed by the move of Lawrence to the 1st Congressional District, with Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence, pointing out the city in and of itself was larger than over two-dozen western Kansas counties.
The move also cuts the area off from neighboring towns of Lecompton and Eudora. Ballard compared it to splitting up a family.
"You don’t want that for your county. We don’t want it for ours," Ballard said.
But Republicans defended the map as preserving Johnson County, which they believe to be the core of the region. When Democrats proposed dividing up Johnson County, rather than Wyandotte, area lawmakers objected.
"The tax assessor is going to be really, really pleased that I am not part of Johnson County," said Rep. Bill Sutton, R-Gardner, adding the proposal to split up Johnson County was only "for political purposes."
More: Proposed congressional district maps would have a big impact on Kansas voters. Here's what to know.
Rep. Chris Croft, R-Overland Park, acknowledged hard decisions had to be made but chalked them up to simple arithmetic.
"This is a math problem with a lot of emotion and we've seen a lot of that on display," Croft said. "I believe this map was born out of some hard choices."
Democrats have criticized the drawing of the map, arguing Republicans have been opaque in disclosing who authored the proposal.
"We would know the intent behind it," Burroughs told reporters Monday on why knowing the map author was important. "Because we've heard the intent as testimony has come forward: to ignore the will of the people."
More: Move most of Lawrence to the sprawling 1st District? Ad Astra plan doesn't make sense for Kansas.
When asked during a committee hearing Monday, Croft said he was unsure who drew the map. He later clarified a group of legislators and staff worked on the map, and Republican leaders in both chambers have said they collaborated closely.
"There were many people involved in the process,” Croft said.
Now, the map heads to Gov. Laura Kelly, who has been noncommittal on whether she will reject them. Republican legislators have said they expert her to do so, however.
Speaking to reporters, Kelly said expected the maps to hit her desk Wednesday but wanted more time to review them.
"It is not a map I would have voted for," Kelly said.
Even if legislators are able to override a potential veto, however, there is a broad agreement the matter will ultimately be litigated in court.
It remains unclear whether a lawsuit is possible in state courts, though the Kansas Constitution doesn't address congressional redistricting. A lawsuit there would likely be predicated on whether the maps follow guidelines legislators themselves approved to orient the redistricting process.
"There's a clear harm," said Michael Li, senior counsel for Brennan Center’s Democracy Program. "Whether there is an available remedy is a different question."
Andrew Bahl is a senior statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at abahl@gannett.com or by phone at 443-979-6100.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Controversial Kansas congressional maps head to Gov. Laura Kelly
