Posted inNews, Politics and Government

Latest Colorado legislative draft maps, which would likely leave Democrats in control, could become the final versions

Democrats would be favored to keep control of both the Colorado Senate and House under new draft maps of the state’s legislative districts released Tuesday afternoon.  The maps, drawn by nonpartisan staff, could be sent to the Colorado Supreme Court for final approval and adoption if the Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission can’t find consensus next […]

Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns

Opinion: A Colorado redistricting commission member offers a look under the hood at the process

Colorado’s 2021 redistricting of congressional and legislative districts is well underway even in the face of unusual obstacles.  Preliminary staff-drawn maps of congressional districts were released last week by Colorado’s Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission, and initial state Senate and House district maps drawn by the Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission’s non-partisan staff will be issued Tuesday.  […]

Posted inElection 2020, News, Politics and Government

Here’s where a preliminary map places Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District

Colorado’s new, eighth congressional district would include the cities of Arvada, Westminster, Broomfield, Thornton, Brighton and Platteville, a preliminary map drawn by nonpartisan redistricting staff and presented to the state’s Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission on Wednesday shows. Staff placed the new district in the north Denver metro area for two reasons, said Jeremiah Barry, a […]

Posted inNews, Politics and Government

Colorado’s congressional, legislative redistricting ramps up this summer. Here’s what you need to know to get involved.

Colorado is about to experience a hot redistricting summer as two appointed commissions prepare to draw new congressional and legislative maps and then hit the road to seek public input on them. The maps will include a new, eighth congressional district and redraw Colorado’s seven other U.S. House seats to account for the state’s 14.5% […]

Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns

Opinion: Coloradans don’t just want politicians out of the redistricting process. We also want fair maps.

Every Coloradan deserves to have equal representation and a voice in government. And right now, two groups of Coloradans are defining what voice and power you may have for the next decade. In 2018, Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved amendments Y and Z, which created two independent redistricting commissions, and Tuesday the Colorado Supreme Court affirmed […]

Posted inNews, Politics and Government

Colorado Supreme Court tells lawmakers to stay out of redistricting process, but signs off on use of preliminary data

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an effort by the General Assembly to make changes to this year’s consequential legislative and congressional redistricting process, ruling that it would be unconstitutional for state lawmakers to get involved. Legislative leaders introduced a measure, Senate Bill 247, that would have allowed the commissions to use preliminary U.S. […]

Posted inNews, Politics and Government

Another potential delay to Colorado’s redistricting process? Counting prisoners.

Redrawing Colorado’s legislative and congressional boundaries was already going to be a race against the clock because of a monthslong delay in receiving data from the U.S. Census Bureau. But another factor could worsen the time crunch: counting prison inmates.  Last year, Colorado lawmakers passed House Bill 1010, which requires that redistricting count the state’s […]

Posted inElection 2020, News, Politics and Government

Colorado needs more people to help redraw political maps. And lack of diversity remains an issue.

Colorado officials anticipated a diverse group of more than 1,000 applicants would be interested in serving on each of two panels voters created to redraw electoral representation districts.  Instead, they got a fraction of that number and a group that does not reflect the diversity of the state. That sparse response has led officials and […]