Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Lawmakers will be drawing new maps for state legislative and congressional districts this Session, and voters say they want the new seats to be fair.
A new poll by RepresentUS, a national group that includes independents, progressives, and conservatives, found 80% of Florida voters are against drawing district maps that favor a particular party or politician.
The opposition is strong across party lines. Democrats are against gerrymandering 88%-12%, followed by independents at 80%-20%. Republican voters were more likely to abide by gerrymandering but only slightly at 75%-25%.
Further, 87% of voters said districts “should be drawn in a fair way that does not benefit their preferred political party.” The total includes 94% of self-identified liberals and moderates as well as 85% of conservatives.
But voters don’t expect lawmakers to follow through — a 43% plurality said they expect the final maps to be stacked in one party’s favor while just one in seven said they think the new lines will be impartially drawn.
There is precedent for their low expectations. The courts tossed out the state Senate and congressional maps drawn in the last regularly scheduled redistricting Session ahead of the 2016 elections.
If the maps are tilted, 71% of Democrats and 56% of independents said it would be a “major problem.” Just under half the Republicans (49%) concurred.
“Results of our recent survey in Florida show that Republicans, Democrats and Independent voters agree that gerrymandering is a major problem that undermines the integrity of our elections,” said Joe Kabourek, Senior Campaign Director for RepresentUS. “State legislators have an opportunity to improve trust in our elections by adopting fair voting maps and improving transparency in the process.
“It’s clear that voters see gerrymandering as a major problem because it’s a conflict of interest that benefits politicians and undermines our elections. There is no doubt that Florida legislators would serve the public well by having a reapportionment process that is more transparent and builds on the 2016 approved maps.”
The survey was conducted in Florida through an online panel administered by YouGov. The survey was completed between June 30-July 8, 2021, with a sample size of 428 respondents with a margin of error of 5.42%.
Evening Reads
“Will the bus driver ever come? Or the substitute teacher or cafeteria worker?” via Giulia Heyward of The Wall Street Journal
“The pandemic has created a nation of insomniacs” via Anna North of Vox
“The stolen-election myth has become an albatross for the GOP” via Rich Lowry for POLITICO Magazine
“Our best tool for predicting midterm elections doesn’t show a Republican wave — but history is on the GOP’s side” via Nathaniel Rakich of FiveThirtyEight
“COVID-19-recovered is not the same as vaccinated” via Katherine J. Wu of The Atlantic
“’Imagine If the ‘Mona Lisa’ was digital and then auctioned on the internet’: The only NFT explainer you really need, from a true believer” via Nick Bilton of Vanity Fair
“660,000 white flags and climbing: This artist shows what America’s COVID-19 death toll looks like” via Chris Cioffi of Roll Call
“How ‘13 Reasons Why’ sparked years of suicide-contagion research” via Jennifer Ouelette of Ars Technica
“Mystery group behind ads in key Senate race may have been led by Republican strategist’s son” via Jason Garcia and Annie Martin of the Orlando Sentinel
“Pulte Homes destroys 22 Florida tortoise burrows, pays a paltry penalty” via Craig Pittman of the Florida Phoenix
“Schools facing critical race theory battles are diversifying rapidly, analysis finds” via Tyler Kingkade and Nigel Chiwaya of NBC News
“Talking about climate across the political divide” via Eliza Griswold of The New Yorker
“Inside the studios’ (And Apple’s) frenzy to get Christopher Nolan’s next film” via Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter
Quote of the Day
“I think offering incentives, providing information, encouraging, I think is well within their rights and, you know, I think that would be totally appropriate. What’s not appropriate under Florida law is to fire somebody based on this issue. We’ve got to protect people’s jobs. We’ve got to protect people’s livelihoods.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis, on President Joe Biden‘s proposed vaccine mandates that could force people out of a job, including first responders.
Bill Day’s Latest
Breakthrough Insights
