Rob Richie, executive director of FairVote--The Center for Voting and Democracy:

"We are so pleased that Congressman Tanner and several of his colleagues… have joined to support the Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act. And I think as we look forward to what we need to do about good government and about bringing a sense of quality to how we do our business, one of the issues that has to be taken on is redistricting. One of the concerns we’ve had is that if it’s seen as simply a state issue, so much of what happens – even when it’s seemingly for a good purpose – is done through a partisan lens.

"The U.S. House of Representatives is a national body, and even though everyone comes from a local district and comes from a state, ultimately they work together, and what we’re seeing is that moves in different states are often seen through the lens of how they might affect the balance of power in the national office. Having national uniform standards, not directing exactly what states have to do, but creating a baseline of quality, fairness and independence in redistricting is what we need."

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