Opinion ID: 2604170
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: does the total deviation of 14.8% between election districts violate the equal protection clause of either the united states or alaska constitution?

Text: House Districts 1 and 4 (the Ketchikan-Wrangell-Petersburg and Juneau Districts) have deviations from ideal district population size of -9.9% and +4.9%, respectively, resulting in a total deviation of 14.8%. Because these districts are respectively the least and most populated districts in the state, combining their percentage deviations yields the total deviation under the reapportionment plan  that is, the deviation from population equality of all districts in the state, not merely the deviation of the districts in Southeastern Alaska alone. [6] Kenai argues that the state must justify this total deviation as necessary to effectuate a rational state policy and that the rational state policies identified in the superior court's decision are insufficient as a matter of constitutional law because they do not in fact represent uniform and coherent statewide policies. [7] The state concedes that it must make a good faith attempt to achieve population equality among all the districts in the state and must justify deviations greater than 10% but less than 16.5% on the basis of a rational state policy. The United States Supreme Court has held that while the equal protection clause of the Federal Constitution does not require precise numerical equality of population in state legislative districts, a State [must] make an honest and good faith effort to construct districts, in both houses of its legislature, as nearly of equal population as is practicable. Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 577, 84 S.Ct. 1362, 1390, 12 L.Ed.2d 506, 536 (1964). Any divergence from strict population equality must be based on legitimate considerations incident to the effectuation of a rational state policy. [8] Id. at 579, 84 S.Ct. at 1390-91, 12 L.Ed.2d at 537. In Groh, we articulated our adherence to this doctrine, holding [t]hat in the absence of a showing that the manner of reapportioning a state was improperly motivated or had an impermissible effect, deviations of up to ten percent require no showing of justification. The state, however, has the burden of showing that deviations in excess of ten percent are based on legitimate considerations incident to the effectuation of a rational state policy. 526 P.2d at 877 (footnotes omitted) (quoting Reynolds, 377 U.S. at 579, 84 S.Ct. at 1391, 12 L.Ed.2d at 537). In evaluating reapportionment plans in the past, we have not ignored the unique character of Alaska in distinguishing between state policies which justify deviations from districts of equal population size greater than 10% and those which have not. At the outset we recognize the difficulty of creating districts of equal population while also conforming to the Alaska constitutional mandate that the districts be formed of contiguous and compact territory containing as nearly as practicable a relatively integrated socio-economic area. When Alaska's geographical, climatical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic differences are contemplated the task assumes Herculean proportions commensurate with Alaska's enormous land area. The problems are multiplied by Alaska's sparse and widely scattered population and the relative inaccessibility of portions of the state. Surprisingly small changes in district boundaries create large percentage variances from the ideal population. Egan v. Hammond, 502 P.2d 856, 865 (Alaska 1972) (footnotes omitted) (quoting Alaska Const. art. VI, § 6). [9] Groh is further instructive in regard to what state policies may justify a population deviation in excess of 10%. There justification for the percentage deviations of the house districts for the Wrangell-Petersburg area and Juneau lay in the separation of Southeastern Alaska from Southcentral Alaska by 225 air miles and in the historically and geographically valid reasons for not creating a district which joined the southeastern and southcentral regions. 526 P.2d at 879. Specifically, we found that the Board had a rational basis for not severing Skagway and Haines from Juneau because of their close transportation ties to Juneau by daily air flights and frequent ferry service; the close historical linkage between the three communities, with Juneau serving as the economic hub for Haines and Skagway; and the distinctness of the district from the remainder of Southeastern Alaska by virtue of the nature of its development and composition, being comprised almost entirely of portions of the mainland rather than islands of the archipelago. Id. at 879. With respect to the Wrangell-Petersburg District, we concluded that the Board's attempt to implement the policy expressed in the constitution of achieving as nearly as practicable, a contiguous, compact territory containing a relatively integrated socio-economic area justified the 9.3% overrepresentation of the district. Id. at 879. Finally, we also deemed the 6.5% and 5.7% overrepresentation in the Aleutian Chain and Kodiak Districts, respectively, adequately justified on the ground that there appeared to be no feasible means of adding additional areas of population to those districts without worsening the existing imbalance. Id. at 879-80. [10] We now turn to the various justifications which the state has advanced in this case. With respect to retention of a unified Juneau District, the state sought to preserve Juneau's political boundaries. Although the Board in its proposal did not keep intact the boundaries of other political subdivisions throughout the state, it did attempt to leave traditional groupings together[;] but to the extent that [that] was not possible with the population [, it] had to make adjustments. The retention of political boundaries is a legitimate justification for a deviation from ideal district population size in excess of 10%, but this policy must be consistently applied to the state as a whole. Cf. Kilgarlin v. Hill, 386 U.S. 120, 123, 124, 87 S.Ct. 820, 822, 823, 17 L.Ed.2d 771 (1967) (purported state policy requiring apportionment plans to respect county boundaries rejected as justification for deviation, because the state permitted the crossing of county boundaries in the formation of districts to equalize undue population deviations and did not demonstrate why or how respect for county lines required the particular deviations in issue). Here the state has crossed subdivision boundaries in creating districts; for example, Anchorage and Fairbanks were both divided. In light of this fact, the preservation of Juneau's political boundaries does not justify the deviation in issue because the districting of Juneau does not reflect implementation of a consistent state policy. We are of the view, however, that the retention of a unified Juneau District is incident to the effectuation of the state's policy to promote the contiguity, compactness and socio-economic integration of its communities. The state must consistently enforce the constitutional article VI, section 6 requirements of contiguity, compactness, and relative integration of socio-economic areas in its redistricting. [11] The City and Borough of Juneau comprises the former City of Douglas and Juneau, and the former Borough of Juneau. In the context of promoting social and economic integration, the unification of Juneau is reasonable. In contrast with the division of relatively similar districts in Anchorage that we rejected in Groh, the differences between Juneau and the outlying communities are sufficiently distinct to justify retention of a unified Juneau District. We thus cannot say that the retention of a unified Juneau District is unreasonable or unconstitutional under article VI, section 6. [12] See Carpenter, 667 P.2d at 1214 (delineating this standard of review). The redrawing of House District 2 to exclude Cordova and include Metlakatla and Hoonah also furthers the state policy of implementing the three elements of the article VI constitutional mandate. District 2 remains completely in the Southeast and as such is relatively compact. [13] The communities which it comprises are contiguous. Further, the record indicates that it satisfies the element of relative socio-economic integration in that the state's feeder ferry system connects almost all of the communities except Yakutat and almost all have local air taxi service several times daily; fishing is a major economic activity, and fishermen from all the communities fish throughout the entire district; the communities share a common interest in the management and disposition of state lands; and many of the communities are predominantly Native. Like the Juneau District upheld in Groh, District 2 effectuates a rational state policy because of the area's close transportation ties, unique development, and historical links. See 526 P.2d at 879. The state also argues that the 14.8% total deviation from ideal district population size is justified because the creation of District 2 advances the policy of facilitating review under the Voting Rights Act by increasing the Native population in the district from 27.5% to 41.9%. A state may constitutionally reapportion districts to enhance the voting strength of minorities in order to facilitate compliance with the Voting Rights Act, United Jewish Orgs. v. Carey, 430 U.S. 144, 97 S.Ct. 996, 51 L.Ed.2d 229 (1977), but the Supreme Court has not decided whether such a redistricting will justify a total deviation greater than 10%. We need not decide that issue here, however, because the record in this case does not demonstrate a need to increase the Native population from 27.5% to 41.9% to effectuate a policy of compliance with the Voting Rights Act. Under section 5 of the Act, a reapportionment plan is invalid if it would lead to a retrogression in the position of racial minorities with respect to their effective exercise of the electoral franchise. Beer v. United States, 425 U.S. 130, 141, 96 S.Ct. 1357, 1364, 47 L.Ed.2d 629 (1976). However, the record here does not show a retrogression in the effective exercise of the electoral franchise would occur without the inclusion of a 41.9% Native population. [14] We thus conclude the state has not carried its burden of proving that the redrawing of House District 2 was necessary to effectuate a policy of compliance with the Voting Rights Act. Nevertheless, since the state has demonstrated that the redistricting of Southeastern Alaska effectuated other rational and consistent state policies under article VI, section 6, we hold that such redistricting did not violate the equal protection clause of either the Federal or Alaska Constitution.