Haste makes electoral waste

This is why Nassau County didn't need rushed redistricting.

The trouble Republicans encountered trying to avoid primaries today in county legislative Districts 5, 16, 18 and 19 (there is also a Democratic primary in Nassau District 13) illustrates why it was so wrongheaded to cram the redistricting process between the 2010 census and the 2011 election.

The Republicans put up two slates of candidates for the four districts -- one for the new lines and one for the old. The plan was to have the ones whose districts didn't exist on Election Day drop out. The law, though, says all the names must stay on the ballots.

That's not a great way to conduct democracy.

So now after their redistricting plan was rejected by the state's top court, the Republicans must go through with a primary election that includes several candidates who don't want to run. They put their names forward hoping to seek seats in districts that don't exist.

The Republicans, then, are stuck paying the political price for their folly. Although the party can likely mobilize enough regulars to give their most favored candidates victory, the situation has created a hassle and diversion of energy they'd rather avoid.

The financial price for all this silliness? That will be covered by the taxpayers, who must pay the steep bills for both sides of the legal wrangle of redistricting, and the tab for these primaries.

When it comes to redistricting, there are good reasons to take our time.

This is a corrected version of the editorial; the version posted originally had the wrong LD for the Democratic primary.