LWV Outraged by Legislature

Tallahassee -- On Wednesday, The Florida legislature acknowledged that it had destroyed documents associated with its 2012 redistricting process. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that legislative leaders must turn over all of their redistricting documents as part of a lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters.

The League of Women Voters of Florida is challenging the legislature's 2011 redistricting process, alleging that its intent was not congruent with a 2010 amendment to the constitution (known as the fair districts amendment) which prevented lawmakers from drawing districts based on political motivations. If they win, districts may need to be redrawn prior to 2014.

Although legislators say that the document destruction was both routine and legal, the LWV was incensed by the actions, claiming that state officials were well aware that a lawsuit was likely. League of Women Voters of Florida President Deirdre Macnab released the following statement:

"The holiday season is usually a time to celebrate the best of human nature, but the latest revelation that House and Senate members destroyed records dealing with the drawing of redistricting maps can only be described as Grinch-like. After all the public comments by legislators expressing their belief that litigation was inevitable, the admission that any redistricting records were destroyed should have Florida voters up in arms. Today's disclosure is just another example of those in charge abusing their power and then hiding behind the lame excuse that they didn't know what they were doing."