ND Legislature approves new redistricting map

North Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature has approved a new legislative map that reflects a continued loss of political clout in rural areas due to population shifts in the past decade. One day after the bill was passed in the House, the Senate voted 40-to-7 in favor today (Wed).

Though the map maintains 47 legislative districts, it creates three new districts in the state’s fastest-growing areas but erases an equal amount in population-lean rural regions.

The new map also separates House districts on two American Indian reservations in the state, a move tribal leaders believe will increase the odds for electing their own members to the Legislature. The redistricting plan was drafted by a GOP-controlled committee of lawmakers.

AP