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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Some North Dakota tribal leaders appealed to lawmakers Wednesday to split legislative House districts that include reservations, a move they believe will increase the odds for electing American Indians to the Legislature.
Collette Brown, the Gaming Commission director for the Spirit Lake Nation, said sticking her tribe's reservation in a larger district with predominantly white rural areas has a "dilutive effect" on the Native American vote and prevents tribal members from electing the candidate of their choice. To remedy the issue, Brown suggested the redistricting panel split the full district in two to include a House district that encompasses the reservation.
No members of the panel presented proposals for new political boundaries Thursday, but discussion of rural-to-urban migration and the possibility of subdividing House districts offered a glimpse of the challenges facing mapmakers.
The panel will come up with plans to redraw Legislative district boundaries for a special session later this year
Fargo, ND, USA / Y94 Jun 29, 2021 | 1:56 PM BISMARCK – The committee that will draw the boundaries of North Dakota’s new legislative districts has scheduled its first meeting later this summer at the state Capitol. The Aug. 26 meeting will be followed by at least six others statewide to gather input on a new legislative map that will influence the political balance of power for the next decade. Finley GOP Rep. Bill Devlin is chairman of the 16-member committee. He says that public input will be part of the committee’s work sessions. The meetings also will be live-streamed, which had not...