Sandoval vetoes Democrats’ second redistricting bill

CARSON CITY — For the second time in less than a month, Gov. Brian Sandoval on Tuesday vetoed Assembly Bill 566, the Democrats’ proposal for redrawing legislative and congressional district boundaries.

The veto was a surprise to no one because Sandoval, in vetoing the redistricting bill the first time, complained that the Democrats had packed Hispanics into a few districts and failed to create a Hispanic congressional district.

Regardless of that , the Democrats simply repassed the same bill while making what Assemblyman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, acknowledged were only minor changes to legislative districts.

The biggest change was their redo of the 3rd Congressional District, represented by U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., so that it lies entirely in Clark County. Heck’s new district would have a registered voter population of 47 percent Democratic versus 30 percent Republican.

Earlier, Democrats placed Heck in a district that partly was in rural counties in the western part of the state.

Lawsuits already have been filed in state and federal courts challenging the redistricting being done at the Legislature. Republicans leaders have said for months that they expect redistricting will be decided in court.

Yet because Sandoval, a Republican, vetoed the bill Tuesday, enough time to reach a compromise on redistricting remains. The session ends June 7.

While Sandoval, the state’s first Hispanic governor, said the Democrats’ plan would hurt the opportunities of Hispanics to win more seats, all 10 Hispanics in the Legislature are Democrats who voted for the twice-vetoed plan.

All 37 Democrats in the Legislature had voted for AB566, and all 26 Republicans voted against the bill.