Is Arkansas Attorney General Plotting Another “Fayetteville Finger?”

ASK AN ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT:

Is Attorney General Dustin McDaniel plotting another “Fayetteville Finger?”

"Finger's" McDaniels

Little Rock, Ark. – Democrat Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is hiding legislative redistricting maps from the people of Arkansas and spawning public distrust with an arrogant disregard for transparency in the reapportionment process.
The Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA) today calls on Democrats Mike Beebe and Dustin McDaniel to open up the legislative redistricting process to the people of Arkansas and release their maps before the Board of Apportionment’s first public hearing Tuesday in Jonesboro.

“Arkansans deserve an open, fair and transparent public hearing, and Democrat Attorney General McDaniel appears to care little for the public’s right to know,” RPA Communications Director Katherine Vasilos said. “Chairman Will Bond and the Democratic Party of Arkansas should answer their own party’s cry for transparency and demand the maps to be released. What are they hiding from the people of Arkansas?”

Jason Tolbert of The Tolbert Report reported Wednesday that after submitting two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the Attorney General’s office to release redistricting maps, the Attorney General refused, claiming an exemption under the FOIA.

Republican Secretary of State Mark Martin is the only member of the Board of Apportionment to release maps for public comment.

“Democrat Dustin McDaniel needs to stop giving Arkansans the cold-shoulder and start releasing his maps,” Vasilos said. “The people of Arkansas cannot afford another Democrat-led, partisan redistricting proposal, like the ‘Fayetteville Finger.’”

In April, the RPA called on the three-member Board of Apportionment to follow certain guidelines when conducting the reapportionment process. The guidelines are as follows and the RPA is prepared to take action if they are not met:

1. Districts should respect the concept of “one man, one vote,” with a low variance of one percent.
2. Geographical boundaries should make sense and avoid gerrymanders like the “Fayetteville Finger.”
3. The process should be conducted in a fair, non-partisan manner.
4. The process should be open and transparent for all Arkansans.

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BACKGROUND RESEARCH: “…the Attorney General’s office has denied not one but two FOI requests that I have made to their office regarding the state legislative redistricting process…My first request was a follow up on a story in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in which the AG’s office said that they had been working on some maps for this process. I requested copies of these proposed map drafts.” (Jason Tolbert, The Tolbert Report, 5/18/11)

“Democratic Party of Arkansas spokesman Candace Martin called on Republican Chairman Doyle Webb to demand more transparency and less partisanship from Republican Secretary of State Mark Martin, pointing to Martin’s continual attempts to make political gains through legislative redistricting.” (Democratic Party of Arkansas, Press Release, 4/15/11)

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