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Dominion

Politics

not use provisions of the Voting Rights Act to help create black inajority districts, the party’s legislative caucus ignored that pledge and created an organization called FAIR, standing for Fair and Impartial Redistricting. '

It joined the ACLU and NA^CP in asking the Justice Department to reject the House plan because it didn’t contain enough black-majohty districts, and is also challenging Ijoth House and State Senate plans in federal court on grounds they represent blatant gerrymandering. !

While the latter is undoubtedly true - the House plan lumps l(j incumbent Republicans together irf various districts - no redistricling plan has ever been tossed out hy a federal court because it shafts a particular political party.

Meanwhile, those who created FAIR are elated. The vast majority of blacks cast their votes for Democrats, which means new black-Qiajority districts will be sending Democrats to Richmond. But it also means that other Democrats wilf be running in districts that are lar^fely white and won’t have the benefjp of black votes they’ve counted on irrthe P&st. wv

Republicans expect to do wett in those districts and, perhaps, fljso pick up even more votes from conservative and moderate Democrats if the influx of black legislators pushes the state party leftward^ as can be expected. "

As strategy, it is hard to see Ijpw it can be faulted. With FAIR, Republicans have taken lemons 2nd made lemonade. Three or four elections down the line the success ofthe strategy will be obvious. •

Even so, there are a number of Republicans and pundits who tlfink that by engaging in what a RJchmond paper called “racial gerrymandering,” the state GOP has betraved its philosophy. Echoing sentiments of some Republicans, a Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial charged, “So these Republicans would have the party forfeit its principled cfium of opposition to all govemnfent schemes that divide American^ on the basis of skin color or ethnic identity, and instead they would make the GOP the party of the New Segregation.” | , The bottom line, though, is {hat with or without Republican participation the Voting Rights Act, the Department of Justice and federal courts will insist on minority districts in Virginia and other southern states so long as it is possible to Create them, which it obviously is. *

The way we do redistricting may not be completely fair, but FAIR alone probably can’t do a lotj to change it. ■

(Editor’s note: John Goolrick, a former political reporter, is now an aide to U.S. Rep. D. French Slaughter Jr., R-Va. Opinions expressed are his own.)