Colorado is set to reveal a preliminary map of its congressional districts next week. For the first time, an independent redistricting commission will be utilized to determine the district borders.
What We Know:
- Redistricting occurs every ten years across the nation. With Democrats having a slim majority in the House of Representatives, many are curious to see how redistricting across the country will influence upcoming midterm elections.
- U.S. Census data is typically referenced when redistricting. Because of the pandemic and change in the presidential regime, this data has been delayed. Analysts fear that this might enable gerrymandering, where electoral lines are skewed to benefit one political party.
- In a 2018 amendment, Colorado became one of several states that now rely on independent redistricting commissions in hopes of reducing partisanship. The Colorado commission consists of 4 Democrat voters, 4 Republican voters, and 4 unaffiliated voters. They will be relying on data from past censuses as well as municipal data from the state.
Kathay Fend, national redistricting director for the Common Cause, stated, “It is an explicit rejection of the scorched-earth tactic that has been used by some party leaders, a way of demonstrating that we can bring people back to the table and make democracy work.”
- The commission has been instructed to not take existing districts or the homes of incumbent representatives into account. They must try and keep the new districts equal in population and contiguous. They also are to avoid splitting cities, counties, or communities with shared interests. The hope is that these districts will be as compact and politically competitive as possible.
- Effects of redistricting are expected to challenge established Republicans because of a major shift in population. The state’s population experienced a 14.5% growth from 2010-2020 which has earned them an eighth seat in the House of Representatives. The majority of this population increase is around the Denver area. In contrast, the eastern plains region, a Republican stronghold, experienced the most decline.
- Scott Martinez, a lawyer who drew congressional redistricting maps for Democrats in 2001 and 2011, is optimistic, “My hope is that the benevolence of these commissioners finds a way to grant equality to our ethnic minorities.” Already the commission has received over 400 comments from the community providing input towards the redistricting effort.
Preliminary congressional district maps will be unveiled by June 23 and preliminary legislative maps on June 28. The commission will elicit public feedback in hearings hosted around the state, before incorporating more granular census data for the final product expected to be submitted by the November 1 deadline.
