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A contentious battle in the war over the redrawing of Alaska'svoting districts came to very temporary conclusion on Tuesday, whenthe Alaska Supreme Court approved an April 5 plan that will be usedfor the 2012 election cycle. But the Alaska redistricting boardmust continue its work to balance the requirements of the AlaskaConstitution and the federal Voting Rights Act. In the Supreme Court order , the court said it opted for the April 5 plan because there hadbeen "numerous objections" to a revised plan submitted May 15. TheSupreme Court noted that the new plan likely complies with theAlaska Constitution, but may be invalid under the Federal VotingRights act. The decision to return to the April 5 plan may flipthat on its head, bringing it into compliance with the federalrules but raising continued questions about whether or not itcomplies with the state constitution. That April 5 plan had alreadypassed federal muster. The court wrote that although the districts under the May 15 planmay comply with Alaska's Constitution, "there is a risk that theUnited States Department of Justice would decline to pre-clear themunder the Voting Rights Act. Notice of the failure of the (DOJ) topre-clear the new districts would come so late in the 2012 electioncycle that a great disruption to the election process wouldresult." Central to the issue is a redrawing of four Southeast Alaska House districts -- which also make up two Senate districts -- to bring them inline with state constitutional principles. But as electiondeadlines approach, an interim plan was needed for 2012 even as theboard continues to drill down on the finer points. Redistricting occurs every 10 years in coordination with theonce-a-decade U.S. census. Alaska is one of nine states that mustsubmit their maps to the federal government under the Voting RightsAct, due to the possibility of disenfranchisement of certain voterblocs. The interim plan means a lot to campaigns: 59 out of 60 lawmakersare up for re-election this year, and it remains to be seen if themap favors Republicans or Democrats. New Alaska State RepublicanParty chairman-elect Russ Millette told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that he expects outcomes favorable to Republicans for severalseats currently occupied by Democrats. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Food Additives Stabilizers , Acidity Regulators, and more. For more , please visit Food Additives Ingredients today!
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