SAINT PAUL, Minn.— Today, the House Redistricting Committee advanced a set of redistricting principles to guide the redistricting process for 2022.
“Up until this point in committee, we’ve been in learning and listening mode, learning from nonpartisan experts about technical and legal issues and how our state demography has changed over the past decade,” said Rep Mary Murphy (DFL-Hermantown), chair of the committee.
“We’ve listened to councils and organizations, communities of interest, and the public in every congressional district of our state about how the new districts should be drawn. Today, we are taking the next step in the process and adopting the redistricting principles to ensure new districts are fair and inclusive.”
Principles will guide legislators’ work when session begins on January 31, 2022. These include adopting the following: population equality; minority representation; preservation of communities; local political subdivisions and tribal reservations; and using measures to ensure districts are compact and contiguous.
“We’ve learned from experts, read case laws, attended conferences, and most importantly, we’ve listened to Minnesotans,” said Rep. Ginny Klevorn (DFL-Plymouth), vice chair of the committee.
“They shared with us what’s important to their communities, what unites them with their neighbors, and how new district maps would impact themselves and their families. We are prepared for the constitutional and legislative duty to draw maps that give Minnesotans equal representation and an opportunity to express their voice in our shared democracy.”
The Committee heard public testimony of support from Katrina Mortensen, Public Policy Director of the Minnesota Council on Foundations, and Annastacia Belladonna-Carrera, Executive Director of Common Cause Minnesota.
Materials can be accessed on the committee website.
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