The Fairbanks North Star Borough assembly will maintain amicus status in a drawn out suit challenging the Alaska Redistricting Board voter maps.
The panel voted Thursday to file a brief in support of plaintiffs George Riley of Ester and Ron Dearborn of Goldstream Valley. The men’s latest motion in the case challenges Fairbanks House and Senate Districts, they claim violate constitutional standards.
“Districts that ignore political subdivision boundaries, that ignore communities of interest, or any other discriminatory intent if you have evidence of regional partisanship, things like that,” Borough assistant attorney Jill Dolan said, outlining possible issues with the Board’s Fairbanks alignments. “Then the question will become, ‘Well what’s the Board’s valid non-discriminatory justification for that?'”
Riley and Dearborn’s latest motion contests districts outlined in an updated plan filed by the Redistricting Board earlier this month.  It also includes alleged problems with MatSu and Kenai voter districts.
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
