Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon voters are gearing up for November's election.

But one state senator is thinking ahead to 2010.

Bruce Starr, a Republican business owner from Hillsboro, says the state's method for drawing congressional and legislative maps is broken.

Right now, state legislators themselves draw the state's political map.

Starr says he can fix the problems by choosing a five-member bipartisan panel less likely to involve politics in the process.

He says the state's Democrats should vote to fast-track a ballot initiative on the reform.

Sen. Bruce Starr: “I hope that the Democrats in Salem see this as the public policy that's best for Oregon. But if they don't, I can take it directly to the people. That's happened a lot. And, if that's the direction we have to go, that's the direction we'll go."

Starr says the issue must be addressed now because the redistricting process starts after the U.S. Census in 2010.

He says he's modeled his proposal after Washington, which is one of just eight states that has removed redistricting power from the legislature.