By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — University of Kansas political science professor Patrick Miller notes that, if Republicans can stay united in the Kansas Legislature, they can reshape the state's electoral map however they choose.
"There's no check on partisan based redistricting," Miller said. "The conservative majority on the Supreme Court has said recently that the federal courts cannot adjudicate cases about partisan redistricting, that you can't even bring that into the federal court."
D.C. is trying to shape redistricting on both sides, though.
"They are sending out maps from D.C. to the states, suggested maps to state legislatures saying, you know, this is kind of what we would like your map to look like, so that we can get another person of our party in D.C.," Miller said. "They're doing that more aggressively than they were 10 years ago, quite frankly. Democrats aren't going to waste their time sending model maps to Kansas. They're sending model maps to Illinois and New York. Republicans are sending model maps to Kansas and Georgia, places like that."
The Democrats best chance in Kansas to have a voice in the process may be to try to divide Republicans amongst themselves.
"Ten years ago, we couldn't come up with a map, quite frankly, because moderate Republicans and conservative Republicans couldn't compromise," Miller said. "They were each trying to shaft each other in that process, so the process broke down. There are a lot fewer moderate Republicans in the legislature these days, not very many, quite frankly. Republicans have that supermajority, which means that in theory, if Republicans stay united, they can override a gubernatorial veto."
Hutchinson Democrat Jason Probst is on the House committee. McPherson Republican Rick Wilborn chairs the Senate panel.