REDRAWING BOUNDARIES: Parties Spar Over New District

POPULATION IN SPRINGDALE 35.4 PERCENT HISPANIC

— Republicans and Democrats are at odds over which party would benefit from a Hispanic-majority House district in Northwest Arkansas.

Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, said many local Hispanics are family-oriented and fiscally conservative, traits that might align them with the GOP.

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“There are a lot of issues where Hispanic citizens will come to the Republican Party,” he said.

Rep. Uvalde Lindsey, D-Fayetteville, said the Democratic Party generally does well among Hispanic voters because of Social Security and other economic concerns, including health care. Also, Hispanics have witnessed the Democratic Party through the years being open to blacks and other ethnic groups, he said.

“Historically, Democrats tend to be a more inclusive party,” Lindsey said.

The Arkansas Board of Apportionment is considering creating the state’s first Hispanic-majority House district in Northwest Arkansas, said Joe Woodson Jr., board staff member.

The board is redrawing Arkansas’ 100 House and 35 Senate districts to reflect population shifts shown in the 2010 U.S. Census. Washington and Benton counties are slated to gain one Senate and three House districts. South Arkansas is expected to lose seats.

The board is comprised of two Democrats, Gov. Mike Beebe and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, and Republican Secretary of State Mark Martin.

Local Hispanic leaders and several Republican legislators, including Collins, attended a meeting Wednesday in Woodson’s Little Rock office to discuss a Hispanic-majority House district. Representatives of the elected officials on the board also attended.

Woodson displayed two maps at the meeting, one showing a new district east of U.S. 71B encompassing parts of Rogers and Springdale. The other showed current House districts. Woodson said he used it to demonstrate how House District 94 could be divided at the boundary between Benton and Washington counties to create a district in Springdale with about 46 percent Hispanic residents.

The population in Springdale is 35.4 percent Hispanic, and the population in Rogers is 31.5 percent Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Conservative groups criticized Collins for a letter he emailed to all GOP House members Monday supporting a Hispanic-majority House district. Secure Arkansas, whose website lists illegal immigration among its issues, posted the letter online along with Collins’ cellphone number and personal email address.

Also last week, Conservative Arkansas, a political action committee that maintains a website, issued a news release opposing the district and saying Collins’ letter generated “a great deal” of discussion among conservatives.

“Manipulating district boundaries to promote the representation of any specific ethnic or ancestral group of people is wrong,” according to the news release. “It validates the notion that physical attributes should trump principles, it encourages cultural divisiveness, and it harms our spirit and strength as a state and as a nation.”

Lindsey said Republican officeholders and candidates have to contend with a conservative faction of their party who imply support for any Hispanic issue equates to support for illegal immigration.

Collins said he opposes illegal immigration, but wanted to call attention to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act has led to court cases in Arkansas and elsewhere requiring minority districts, he said.

“It’s not special treatment,” he said. “It’s fair treatment under the law.”

Andrew Dowdle, a University of Arkansas political science associate professor, said voter turnout in a Hispanic-majority district could determine whether a Hispanic candidate would win. Some Hispanics distrust politicians and the political process because of disappointing experiences in their home countries, he said.

Also, a Hispanic voter’s country of origin might determine if that person would vote for a Democrat or Republican, he said. For instance, Cuban-Americans tend to be politically conservative, he said.

Rep. Les “Skip” Carnine, R-Rogers, who represents District 94, said a Hispanic district in Northwest Arkansas could be a toss-up.

“I think it will be a very competitive district in terms of Republicans and Democrats,” he said.

Every House and Senate member representing Rogers and Springdale is a Republican. Rep. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, said Hispanics in Northwest Arkansas traditionally have not voted in large numbers. That could change in the next 10 to 15 years as younger Hispanics become more politically active, he said.

Woodson has said the board probably would create a Hispanic-majority House district before creating a Hispanic-majority Senate district. The ideal size of each new Senate district is 83,312, while the ideal size of each new House district is 29,159. It is easier to fill a smaller House district with the number of residents required to make it majority-Hispanic, he said. The ideal sizes are determined by dividing the state’s population of 2.9 million by 100 House or 35 Senate districts.

The governor and attorney general will release their proposed maps July 19, Woodson said. The maps will be posted on the Board of Apportionment website. Several of the secretary of state’s map proposals are on the website.

The board will conduct a public hearing in Little Rock on July 25, and then vote July 29.

The new districts would take effect 30 days after the board approves a map, according to its website.

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