Editorial: New voting plan corrects fatal flaw

Thursday, May 2, 2002 | 8:47 a.m.

Las Vegas resident Knight Allen last month pointed out a redistricting conundrum. Staggered four-year City Council terms, a 1999 redistricting to accommodate two more council seats, and the current redistricting to adjust for the 2000 Census was resulting in disenfranchisement for about 3,700 voters in the Charleston Heights area. They were drawn into a ward with no upcoming election in 1999 and were again about to be drawn into a ward with no upcoming election -- meaning they would miss two consecutive votes in a City Council election.

Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald, who represents the affected voters, raised objections and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada engaged its national Voting Rights Project in the issue. The City Council could have stubbornly chosen to stick with the plan as drawn by retired Wisconsin Judge Frederick Kessler. Instead, it asked Kessler to redraw the map so that no voter had to miss more than one election cycle. At Wednesday's City Council meeting, his new map survived the cursory review of all critics. City staff will further review the map before a vote is taken, to ensure that voters are not twice denied. The City Council acted correctly on this issue.