Dem-NPL Legislative Redistricting Committee Members Release Draft of Statewide Redistricting Map

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 22, 2021

CONTACTS:
Rep. Joshua Boschee, D-44, Fargo House Minority Leader
Sen. Erin Oban, D-35, Bismarck Senate Asst. Minority Leader Member, Redistricting Committee


Dem-NPL Legislative Redistricting Committee Members Release Draft of Statewide Redistricting Map

Bismarck, ND – On Wednesday, September 22, Rep. Josh Boschee and Sen. Erin Oban, Democratic-NPL members of the Redistricting Committee, presented a draft statewide map to the full membership of the legislative committee. The Redistricting Committee is responsible for preparing proposals to replace existing legislative district boundaries with new boundaries reflecting population changes released from the 2020 Census.

Along with the draft map, Boschee and Oban outlined the principles they used in drawing the updated legislative district boundaries. Those principles, in order, include:

  1. Upholding United States and North Dakota constitutional and statutory requirements
    [Note: The Redistricting Committee generally agreed to maintain the number of North Dakota’s current legislative districts at 47.]

  1. Keep counties and tribal nations intact

  1. Keep communities of interest intact to the extent possible (cities, universities, neighborhoods, oil/ag/coal country)

  1. Keep existing legislative districts intact, adjusting to use major/widely-accepted/consistent thoroughfares (interstates, highways, streets, county roads/subdivisions, rivers, etc.)

  2. Get as close to deviation of 0 as possible while accommodating for known current/immediately anticipated growth areas

“The principles we set before we began the process of mapping out our entire state forced us to make decisions and draw lines based on what is most logical for voters to understand and most reasonable for counties – those responsible for conducting elections – to follow,” said Oban. She added, “Using guidelines helped establish consistency and remove biases we, as legislators, often have of protecting incumbents or prioritizing partisanship. Certainly, not everyone will agree with this proposal, but at least adopting and following criteria enabled us to take an objective and fair approach.”

The map now becomes public record and is accessible and available for public comment.

“We invite North Dakotans to engage in this process, to provide input, and to compare and contrast maps proposed by all committee members,” stated Boschee. “Redistricting occurs once every ten years, and it’s in everyone’s best interest to get it right. We can’t do that without feedback from our tribal nations, county and city officials, and the members of the public who it most impacts.”

To view the state map drafted by Boschee and Oban and presented to the Redistricting Committee, visit:

sen_oban_and_rep_boschee_full_state_proposal_092221.pdf.

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