Downing dedicates himself to giving people a voice

Ted Downing, former member of the Arizona House of Representatives and chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party’s Election Integrity Committee, spoke about Constitutional Redistricting of Arizona at the local League of Women Voters meeting Friday.

Two days before, the scholar and social activist had returned from a trip to the source of the Nile in Uganda, Africa. Serving on the board of the World Bank, he was sent as a fact finder by an inspection panel to report on the impact of displacing a sizable group of natives because of the need to build another dam, as only 5 percent of the population has electricity.

One of Downing’s life goals has been mitigating impoverishment risks associated with displacement and resettlement of indigenous peoples; his commitment to them dates back into late childhood, when his mother married George Downing, a full-blooded Cherokee Native American.

Downing and his wife Carmen, a Zapotec-Indian from Oaxaca, have worked as a team for many years training indigenous peoples in computer literacy.

Before his presentation, he showed slide photos of his trip to Uganda. There was one photo of young boys carrying large containers of water overhead, and Downing said they do this all day. There was a photo of natives sitting on the ground in an outdoor medical waiting room awaiting their time to see a spiritual doctor.

Speaking of his graphic photos, Downing said, “I almost lost ‘em; a monkey grabbed my camera.”

Downing said his life’s focus has been giving people a voice and then showed a quote that affirms his just beliefs: “Governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed.”

He gave some history on “gerrymandering” — the term that describes the deliberate rearrangement of the boundaries of congressional districts to influence the outcome of elections.

The word “gerrymander” was named for Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts 1744-1814, and is a combination of his name with the word “salamander” after he crafted a district for political purposes that resembled a salamander in shape.

The term "gerrymandering" is often used to advantage or disadvantage particular constituents often in the favor of ruling incumbents. Downing’s take on this tactic was, “Politicians pick constituents; it’s not constituents who pick politicians.”

Every 10 years, Congress must reapportion seats; “Every 10 years incumbents win. It’s all decided,” he said.

The process is mostly under state control with some federal oversight as any change to state voting regulations must be approved by the federal government.

Of today’s technological times, Downing said, “With use of computers it’s now easy to predict who will win an election.”

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.