A panel of lawmakers has substantially completed a draft of North Dakota’s new legislative map that creates three new districts in the state’s fastest-growing areas – Fargo, Williston and Watford City — but erases an equal amount in some rural regions.
The panel chose to scrub districts 22, 23 and 26 in eastern North Dakota.
The preliminary plan unanimously approved today (Thu) also forces several incumbent lawmakers to run against each other to keep their jobs, including the Democratic Senate minority leader, Joan Heckaman of New Rockford — and the GOP House majority leader, Chet Pollert of Carrington.
The panel focused on keeping 47 districts, rather than increasing or reducing the size of the Legislature.
The task was required due to population shifts shown by the 2020 federal census. Each district is supposed to include approximately the same number of people, although small variances are allowed. The principle is called, “one person, one vote,” and is intended to give each district similar voting power in the Legislature.
Rep. Bill Devlin, chairman of the committee, says the panel of 14 Republicans and two Democrats will return to the Capitol twice next week to “tweak” the plan that was drafted over the past several weeks.
AP
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