News that California is discussing the possibility of instituting a nonpartisan process for redrawing its legislative and congressional districts is a reminder of the problems Kansas encountered after the 2000 Census and may suffer again unless legislators take action soon.

Columnist David Broder suggests there is some blackmail at play in California, where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is holding hostage a measure that would ease the state’s term limits until he and the California Legislature can agree on a nonpartisan redistricting plan. The independent redistricting commission proposed by Schwarzenegger would take much of the politics out of the process but is seen as a threat to incumbents, especially congressional incumbents, whose districts were drawn with the goal of ensuring their repeated re-election.

That is, of course, business as usual in any state where elected legislators draw the district lines. A system in which the majority party takes control and protects its turf may just be a matter of “to the victor go the spoils,” or it may be a case of political leadership improperly manipulating voters.

The splitting of Lawrence between two congressional districts was just one example of the unsavory maneuvering that took place in the Kansas Legislature in 2002. Several legislative districts also were redrawn to try to provide advantage to Republican incumbents.

Worse than the actual redistricting discussions, however, was the impact the highly partisan issue had on almost every other issue before the Legislature that year. The redistricting plan was one of the last pieces of legislation passed that year and the rifts it created still were alive when the Legislature reconvened in 2003.

The process was so contentious that a couple of legislators drew up a plan in 2003 for a nonpartisan, appointed redistricting commission patterned after the system successfully used in Iowa. Unfortunately, the bill didn’t pass and the issue has not been brought up since.

Sen. Derek Schmidt, R-Independence, was one of the sponsors of that bill and told the Journal-World recently that he was aware that time was growing short to revise the redistricting system before the process starts again. In his current role as Senate majority leader, it would seem that Schmidt has the clout to return this important issue to the legislative agenda so changes could be implemented before the 2010 Census triggers the next redistricting. It is hoped he will do just that.

Because so many politicians have so little to gain by changing this process, however, changes probably won’t occur without a groundswell of public support. Now is the time for the governor, Kansas voters and anyone else who can put pressure on state legislators to get behind a plan that will replace the current politically charged redistricting process with a cleaner, nonpartisan system.