Watersheds Can't Vote,It's Up To You!
After the 1960 census, the State of Colorado drew up voting districts for its state senate based on geographic lines, such as watersheds, rather than equal population. The legislature said it wanted to protect the various and unique geographic features throughout the state that might be vulnerable to the voting power concentrated in cities. In the landmark case of Reynolds vs. Sims, the United States Supreme Court in 1964 overturned the geographic districts. Speaking for the court, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote:
"Legislators represent people, not trees or acres. Legislators are elected by voters, not farms or cities or economic interests... Neither history alone, nor economic or other sorts of group interests, are permissible factors in attempting to justify disparities from population-based representation. Citizens, not history or economic interests, cast votes. Consideration of areas alone provides an insufficient justification for deviations from the equal-population principle. Again, people, not land or trees or pastures, vote."
So register and vote! If the trees and critters aren't allowed, it's up to us to do it for them.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1999
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited