MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The legislative redistricting process in Tennessee has always been complicated and a bit messy. But it should not be cloaked in secrecy, as this year’s process appears to be.
State lawmakers are required to make changes to legislative districts based on population changes from the 2020 census. And since Republicans have a supermajority in the General Assembly, they get to decide how the lines are drawn. By most accounts, they are determined to add to their numbers and make the Tennessee legislature even more of a body dominated by rural lawmakers.
Democrats who have managed to see some of the secretive maps said some urban lawmakers from Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville will be forced to run against each other if those maps are approved. That will mean far few Democrats in the legislature and even more dominance by conservative Republicans.
It is true that some urban districts have lost population – or the numbers have been stagnant – since the last census in 2010. But no doubt some rural districts represented by Republicans have lost population as well, and it will interesting to see if any GOP districts will also be merged.
All of this just underscores the down and dirty of state politics where the power is in the numbers. And for the foreseeable future, the numbers favor Republicans. But the public should insist on fairness and transparency. Something we are not getting now.