Redistricting commissioners want public to weigh in on new Idaho legislative map
In new legislative districts, Star would be lumped in with Middleton and Eagle with Emmett. Mountain Home and McCall would be in one district that begins southeast of the Treasure Valley and spreads north into Valley County.
A citizen commission in Idaho tasked with redrawing congressional and legislative districts released a new draft map late Thursday. And commissioners now want the public to weigh in on their potential changes before a final vote in November.
The bipartisan commission is nearing the finish line of its monthslong progress toward redrawing political boundaries based on 2020 Census counts — boundaries that will ultimately determine the weight of a vote, and whether incumbent legislators remain in their current districts.
Previous court cases leave commissioners with important legal constraints: First, they must get as close to “one person, one vote” as possible, by ensuring that each legislative district represent about the same population. But they must also avoid splitting up counties as much as possible.
That leaves a logistical challenge for commissioners. Legislative District 14, for example, encompasses Star and Eagle, and it grew by 36% in the past 10 years, according to 2020 population numbers. It now has about 19,000 people more than its ideal size. The Treasure Valley’s growth left Ada and Canyon counties denser, while some rural areas of Idaho dropped in population.
Commissioners’ new draft map of legislative districts accomplished a 5.91% population deviation — the smallest legislative district is 3.77% below its ideal size, while the largest district is 2.14% above its ideal size. Eight counties are also split in the map.
“I had no idea how hard this was,” said Republican co-chair Bart Davis, a former U.S. attorney and state senator, on Thursday. But a population deviation below 6% is “I think really paying attention to one person, one vote, and it respects communities of interest and counties in a remarkable way.”
The commission has 90 days to complete the job and finalize political maps. The U.S. Constitution requires the process to take place every 10 years with new U.S. Census Bureau data. The clock started Sept. 1, when the commission had its first meeting. Commissioners hope to vote on final maps by Nov. 10 and want public input before their meeting on Wednesday.
The new map has been publicly posted on the 2021 Commission for Reapportionment website, legislature.idaho.gov/redistricting/2021. The latest map, called “L02,” can be found under the “maps” tab.
How redistricting proposals would change political boundaries
Commissioners’ latest draft of legislative districts would split Star and Eagle, lumping Star in with Middleton and part of Nampa. Eagle would be in the same district as Emmett.
Legislative District 22, which currently encompasses communities south of I-84 in Ada and Canyon counties, would instead shift north to exclude Kuna and add part of Boise.
Commissioners also have two proposals for congressional districts, and one would keep all counties intact.
Idaho’s 1st Congressional District, which includes the northern and western parts of the state, currently has about 35,000 more residents than the size it needs to split populations evenly with the 2nd Congressional District.
One draft congressional district map would make Ada County whole and significantly change the makeup of both districts. Under this proposal, the 1st Congressional District would encompass North Idaho and all of Eastern Idaho. The 2nd Congressional District would encompass Southwest Idaho, including Elmore County and Twin Falls. U.S. Reps. Mike Simpson, of Idaho Falls, and Russ Fulcher, of Meridian, would essentially flip districts if they were both successful in their reelection campaigns.
Idaho is one of the few states that does not have its legislature determine political boundaries. The commission, officially the Commission for Reapportionment, is composed of three Republicans and three Democrats.
Majority and minority leaders of both the House and Senate each appoint one member of the commission. The state Republican and Democratic party chairs also appoint one commissioner apiece.
Commissioners must not have been lobbyists for the past year or been an elected official for the past two years, and they are barred from running for legislative office for five years after serving on the commission.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 3:46 PM.
