Why not let voters determine who gets to redraw districts?

If we the people want this done we’re going to have do it ourselves.
Last week, nearly a dozen delegates — all Democrats — introduced House Joint Resolution 108, the No More Gerrymandering Amendment.
It proposes an amendment to the state Constitution to allow citizens to participate directly in the formation of legislative districts, ultimately arranging the districts.
No one expects the Republican-led majority in the Legislature to surrender its power to redraw legislative districts next year. The Democrats certainly never did entertain relinquishing its majority power during the 80 years it controlled the Legislature.
But who’s to say, aside from the voters, who these legislative majorities will be even next year, let alone in 2030.
And don’t look to the courts for relief on gerrymandering. The nation’s high court side-stepped any authority it might have had last summer when it ruled 5-4 that federal courts have no role to play in policing political districts for partisan gain.
Clearly, the executive branch has no role in redrawing legislative and congressional districts following this year’s census, either.
Our position on redistricting is simple: Take the politics out of it as much as possible to ensure fair elections.
Which leaves the voters to best make this decision, if a required two-thirds majority in both legislative chambers agrees to put HJR 108 on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Of course, it would be naive to think West Virginia can ever shelter this process from partisan skirmishing.
But the commission it creates would consist of nine members. The state Senate president and the House speaker would each choose two members.
Then the minority party from each chamber would choose two members. The eight members would select a ninth member to chair the commission.
Public office holders or public employees are not eligible to serve nor are more than four members of any political party. Other requirements include 10 years of state residency and not having switched parties within three years.
Our newspaper has for decades called on the Legislature to explore options for a constructive redistricting process.
Our hopes were up in 2018 when the House Judiciary Committee chair appointed a subcommittee to create an independent commission to redraw the political map in 2021.
But that subcommittee went from requiring legislative leaders from both parties to appoint nonpartisan agents to draw new district lines, to allowing legislators to redraw their own.
The delegate who helped gut that proposal asserted that lawmakers are more qualified to redraw their districts than any appointee would ever be.
That was no vote of confidence in the electorate then.
But advancing HJR 108 now would be and is worth a debate this session to explore this possibility.