Senator Jason Isaacson (DFL-Shoreview), the top Democrat on the Senate Redistricting Committee, said the Senate Republican majority abdicated its responsibility on redistricting by failing to engage Minnesotans in a serious process that would lead to new maps of state Legislative and Congressional districts.
“From the very beginning of the redistricting process, Senate Republicans failed Minnesota,” said Senator Isaacson. “They never put forth a good faith effort to engage Minnesotans in a real way on something as important as who represents them in Congress or the State Legislature. By doing so, they abdicated their Constitutional responsibility to our state.”
Senator Isaacson said Senate Republicans held just three poorly-publicized meetings on redistricting and did little outreach to let people know they could have input on the process. In the end, there were not votes by members of the Redistricting Committee and the Senate failed to produce a map. Their inaction led to the decisions being turned over to the courts, he said.
“Clearly, this year’s process led by the Senate Republicans failed Minnesota,” Senator Isaacson said. “This is more evidence we need a new structure for redistricting and a change in leadership at the Minnesota Senate. Minnesotans expect elected leaders to do the jobs they’ve been sent to St. Paul to do, and Democrats are prepared to do just that,” he said.
Learn more about Sen. Isaacson.
Read more news from Sen. Isaacson.
