Judges' redistricting ruling resets Kan. landscape
JOHN HANNA, Associated Press
Updated 07:10 p.m., Friday, June 8, 2012
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers scrambled Friday to adjust to a new political landscape after three federal judges redrew the state's voting districts and created more than two dozen open legislative seats and potential incumbent-on-incumbent matchups.
The judges released maps Thursday night that imposed new boundaries for congressional, state House, state Senate and State Board of Education districts because the Legislature failed to do so. The maps needed to be redrawn to account for population shifts over the last decade, but a bitter feud among Republicans blocked lawmakers' proposals, so a lawsuit was filed that forced the judges to step in.
In their 206-page order, the judges acknowledged that they were "pushing a re-set button" for legislative districts and imposing dramatically different boundaries — and the results stunned lawmakers.
The judges created four open Senate seats and 25 open House seats, while pairing up dozens of other legislators in districts that now have two incumbents each. Two House districts even have three incumbents each.
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