Try, try again. The initial Gem State redistricting panel, composed of three Demcocrats and three Republicans, could not produce a plan. That resulted in the forming of a second commission, but its initial effort was ruled unconstitutional. That same panel developed another plan, which it released to the public on Friday.
After the Idaho Supreme Court ruled the group’s first redistricting plan unconstitutional, the commission went back to the drawing board resulting in another plan, passed by the commission on a 6-0 vote.
Although the new plan passed unanimously, it appears not everyone is happy. Grant Loebs, from Twin Falls County, says the new plan splits the county in three ways, and for no apparent reason. One of the reasons the Supreme Court ruled the original plan unconstitutional was because it said there were unneeded splits across counties.
Loebs says it has happened again. “Our argument was you can’t split counties for no reason. Twin Falls County was again split for no legitimate reason when a plan was offered by Randy Hansen which would have avoided doing that, and which would have disadvantaged no other county and no other identifiable group of people.”
These guys have a job to do so let them do it! But they cannot even follow simple (to me at least) guidance in not splitting up Twin Falls County? Who are these redistricting panel folks? A bunch of 3rd graders? What part of, “the Idaho Supreme Court said the map could split only Bannock, Bonner, Bonneville, Canyon and Twin Falls counties to pair them with other counties”, did these jokers not understand.