Not so fast on reapportionment: Census data questioned

Some lawmakers are cautioning their colleagues and the governor against jumping to conclusion that a 22.7-percent decrease in Saipan’s population is the only basis for cutting the number of House members from 18 to nine.

Rep. Tony Sablan (R-Saipan) said the basis for determining the number of Saipan House members is the population of the smallest election district, which is Rota as the Constitution requires, and cannot be determined arbitrarily.

Results of the 2010 U.S. Census show that Rota’s population dropped to 2,527, from 3,283 in 2000.

Saipan’s population went down to 48,220 in 2010, from 62,392 in 2000.

Sablan said if his interpretation is correct, one should divide Saipan’s population by that of Rota’s population based on the latest Census data, and this easily determines the proper number of House seats for Saipan. The answer is 19.

Rep. Joseph Palacios’ (R-Saipan) pending initiative seeks to reduce to half the number of Saipan House members-from 18 to nine.

Sablan believes the proposed reduction is done “arbitrarily.” He said the one man, one vote policy to allow for equal representation is at work here.

He also said there’s already a precedent. For example, in 2007, two registered voters-former senator Frica Pangelinan and former representative Tina Sablan-asked the court to decide on reapportionment/redistricting when the Legislature and the governor failed to do so. At the time, the public expected the number of Saipan House seats to be reduced.

But the court instead increased the number of Saipan House seats from 16 to 18 because of the “one man, one vote” principle, said Sablan.

Rep. Ray Yumul (R-Saipan), meanwhile, questioned the accuracy of the U.S. Census Bureau data.

Yumul cited as an example the Census 2010 results showing that the village of Puerto Rico has a population of “zero.” Yumul said this cannot be accurate because Puerto Rico has many residents, including their former neighbors who are still in the village.

He also said the two sets of Census results released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Aug. 24 and Aug. 6 do not show which village falls under which districts, and this makes it hard for the Legislature to decide on a reapportionment and redistricting plan required by the NMI Constitution following the release of Census results.

As of yesterday, the Legislature and the Office of the Governor have yet to determine whether the 120-day period for the Legislature to act on a reapportionment/redistricting plan started on Aug. 24 or Jan. 6. If the Legislature fails to do anything within that 120 days, then the governor could make his own plan. If the governor also fails to do anything, any registered voter could petition the court to make that decision.

House Speaker Eli Cabrera (R-Saipan), during yesterday’s session, said he has learned that the governor could share the attorney general’s opinion on the reapportionment/redistricting issue during today’s luncheon meeting between the governor and lawmakers.

The closed-door meeting will be at World Resort Saipan.