By Oregon Public Broadcasting
Former Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno and three other Oregon Republicans have filed a challenge to new congressional districts recently passed by state lawmakers, arguing the plan amounts to blatant partisan gerrymandering that is unconstitutional and contrary to state law.
The suit, filed Monday in Marion County Circuit Court, is the first such attempt to alter the six-district map that Democrats pushed through during a contentious special legislative session last month.
That session nearly ended in a Republican walkout after House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, reneged on a deal to grant the GOP an equal say in new congressional and legislative maps. Instead, Republican lawmakers showed up on the last possible day and allowed Democrats to pass a map that could lead to Democratic control of five of the state’s now-six seats in Congress. Oregon picked up an additional U.S. House seat because of population gains recorded by the recent U.S. Census.
“The result of this highly partisan process is a clear, egregious partisan gerrymander, as has been widely acknowledged both in Oregon and across the country,” the lawsuit reads. Later it notes: “Democrats are projected to win five of the six of Oregon’s congressional seats in a typical year, results that are not even arguably justified by the Democrats’ overall political support in this State or the political geography of the State.”
Clarno, the secretary of state until this year, was joined by three other former Republican officials: Gary Wilhelms of Portland, a former House Republican leader; James Wilcox, former mayor of The Dalles; and Larry Campbell of Eugene, a former House speaker. They argue that Democrats’ handling of the process harms them “by frustrating their ability to vote for and campaign for congressional candidates who share their values, and who share their views on issues such as gun rights, transportation, and water rights.”
Current Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is named as defendant, which is required by state law.
To make their case, the litigants are making a variety of claims that range from technical arguments about how census tracts are carved up to more inflammatory allegations.
In the former category, the suit notes that four of the state’s six new congressional districts include part of the Portland area, which they say is a sign Democrats improperly stocked the districts with left-leaning voters. The plaintiffs argue the lines don’t properly abide by laws requiring districts to use existing political boundaries and transportation links. As an example, they point out that the new fifth Congressional district, held in its current form by Democratic U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, stretches from Portland to Bend. Republicans have repeatedly criticized that as nonsensical.