186,000 Californians won’t have a state senator for the next two years. They haven’t been disenfranchised; they are simply victims of the redistricting anomaly known as “deferment.”

The Coachella Valley, which is currently in the 37th Senate District, has been redrawn into the 28th Senate District. Because of the numbering switch, the Valley will not be able to vote for a Senator until 2014. For the next two years, other legislators will have to step in to represent the area, even though it isn’t formally part of their constituency.

The Citizens’ Redistricting Commission numbered the state in such a way to minimize the areas that would be deferred, but it was inevitable.

From the Desert Sun:

Nearly 186,000 Coachella Valley residents will go two years without traditional representation in the state Senate.

The gap, which will occur between the 2012 and 2014 elections, is a quirky result of California’s once-in- a-decade redistricting and the Senate’s staggered election cycles.

The entire Coachella Valley has been put into the new 28th Senate District, a seat that’s not up for election until 2014 because only the odd-numbered districts are up next year.

Read the full article here.