Court Ruling on Districting
“The Theory’s Great--If America’s Colorblind” (editorial, June 30) expressed the liberal racism that is threatening to Balkanize our nation. The notion that “majority-minority” districts are the only way for minority voters to achieve representation in our legislative bodies is simply apartheid by another name.
After all, the reasoning goes, we know that all Afro-Americans think alike, as do all whites, all Hispanics, all Asian-Americans. And just as an Afro-American voter cannot be fairly represented by, say, Henry Waxman, a white representative, I, a white man, cannot be represented by a black or a Hispanic or any other racial group but my own.
This is a two-edged sword, and if enough voters are convinced of the truth of this false proposition, the result will be minority townships sprinkled across our nation. Is this really what we want?
Well, I, for one, am thankful the Supreme Court saw fit to curtail this insidious and divisive and potentially tragic policy.
MICHAEL McINTYRE
Los Angeles
* You say, “There is simply no faster way to give these minority groups . . . a stake in the political system. . . .”
There is a better way. It is one which will do what you want. It would also avoid the problems which concerned the Supreme Court majority.
The approach is to have multi-seat districts. This has to be coupled with one of two other approaches. One would be a provision that a voter could cast his or her votes for all seats for the same candidate, or split them among various candidates if he or she so desired.
The other approach is the single transferable vote. In this approach a person lists the candidates in order of preference. The outcome of the election is determined as follows. All of the first choice votes are counted. If a candidate does not get enough first choice votes to have a majority, those first choice votes are thrown out and the second choice of those voters is advanced to first choice, etc. This system is used in Ireland and it works quite well.
RICHARD FOY
Redondo Beach