Two former governors want to ask voters to overhaul the way Colorado draws congressional and state legislative districts to end the gerrymandering that has created safe-districts for the majority of the state’s politicians. Former Govs. Bill Owens and Dick Lamm, a Republican and a Democrat respectively, hope to gather almost 100,000 signatures to ask voters next November to create a bipartisan independent commission and staff to handle both redistricting and reapportionment. “Putting responsibility for drawing districts in the hands of nonpartisan professionals committed to fairness and competition will produce the most accountable and effective representation in the entire country,” Owens said in a statement released Tuesday evening.
The measure also has the support of former Republican and Democrat secretaries of state Gigi Dennis and Bernie Buescher, and former speakers of the House Frank McNulty and Mark Ferrandino.
“For too long these negotiations have been controlled by one party behind closed doors,” Dennis said.
Full Article: Former governors supporting push to change Colorado redistricting rules.