Editorial: Seeking a fair, realistic answer

Thursday, Feb. 19, 1998 | 10:55 a.m.

IT'S generally accepted that the Las Vegas Valley is the fastest-growing community in the nation.

But that growth has not been uniformly spread across each Clark County Commission district, so some commissioners represent more individuals than do their colleagues. The population of the districts is estimated to range in size from 223,000 to 138,000, or a difference of 18.8 percent to 11.5 percent of the total population. This difference has prompted some commissioners to discuss whether the County Commission's districts should be redrawn and equalized.

The attorney general's office believes there is nothing in state law prohibiting a more frequent reapportionment -- rather than every 10 years -- if it finds that the legal principle of "one person, one vote" is violated. But, equally important, the attorney general's opinion acknowledged that a 1976 Nevada Supreme Court opinion found that "to require reapportionment more frequently than every 10 years might impose on government burdens unreasonable in relation to the benefits achieved."

In an ideal world, each commission district would contain an equal number of residents. At first blush, it would seem simple enough: Redraw the lines. But hastily carving out new boundaries does not seem reasonable.

The U.S. Census, which is taken every 10 years, is seen as the most accurate way to measure the nation's population. Undertaking this precise measurement is quite complicated and very expensive, especially if the county were to do it on its own. And considering that the census in the year 2000 is just around the corner, why bother.

The Nevada Legislature should be involved in any tinkering with how often politcal boundaries are redrawn because county commission redistricting should be uniform throughout the state.

Waiting every 10 years to redraw political boundaries has worked well for the nation. There's no compelling reason why Clark County should throw out its current boundaries, especially with the next census just two years away.