California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ideas about redrawing legislative districts in his state are getting some nationwide attention — and might be of interest to Kansans who aren’t satisfied with this state’s contentious redistricting process.

Whatever else can be said about the actor-turned-governor, he’s not easily intimidated. A Republican in a state where the Legislature has been controlled by Democrats for most of the last 30 years knows he’s stepping into a political hornet’s nest by tackling the redistricting issue. Schwarzenegger may be pursuing the goal of making the process of redrawing legislative lines less political, but he will have to plow through plenty of partisan fire in the process.

The case Schwarzenegger is making in California is the case that has been made in many other states that sought redistricting reform. The fact that legislative and congressional districts are drawn by partisan legislators slants the process toward maintaining the status quo. The party in power wants to remain in power, and incumbents want to remain in office. In California, Schwarzenegger claims that of the 153 Congressional and legislative seats that were up for election last November, not one changed parties.

“That is not a democracy,” the governor said.

His plan is to have districts redrawn by an independent panel of retired judges and be focused on geographic boundaries and “communities of interest,” rather than manipulated to preserve political voting bases.

People in Lawrence may remember the term “community of interest” from the 2002 redistricting process in Kansas. It was a phrase that was tossed around plenty during the negotiations but seemed to have little relevance to the final map that declared the city of Lawrence didn’t constitute such a “community” so it legitimately could be split between two congressional districts.

Having two U.S. House members representing Lawrence isn’t all bad, but the line being drawn roughly down Iowa Street would appear to be motivated by a desire to diminish the Democratic voter base of U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore without seriously compromising the Republican voter base of U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun. A political interest, not a community interest, was being served. The city could have been placed entirely in Ryun’s district or in Moore’s district, but it was divided.

California is just one of several states considering redistricting issues. According to Common Cause, an independent group that supporting redistricting reform, bills are being considered in Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, New York and Utah. Legislation also is being contemplated in other states.

Unfortunately, Kansas is not among them. Although a viable plan for an independent redistricting panel was proposed in the Kansas Legislature’s 2003 session, it failed to receive serious attention. Unless the issue is revived within the next year or two, it’s likely the state will be facing a repeat of the bitter redistricting battle that distracted legislators from far more important issues in 2002.

California’s plan may not be exactly the right plan for Kansas, but it raises some valid issues about representative government that our state and others might consider. Redistricting reform isn’t something political lawmakers are going to seriously address without a push from the public. Perhaps Schwarzenegger’s effort in California will cause residents of other states to consider providing such a push.