BOISE, Id – Today the Second Idaho Redistricting Commission will be sworn in. The group will work to redraw the state’s political boundaries. The first Commission failed to do this in its allotted ninety days. But Idaho isn’t the only Western state running behind.
Only one of the 13 Western States is finished with Redistricting. Oregon has mapped out its plan, and no one has challenged it. Both California and Alaska have adopted plans, but both are being challenged in court. Nevada is having its own problems too, according to Boise State University Political Science Professor Gary Moncrief.
Gary Moncrief “The Democratic Legislature passed plans twice, the Nevada Governor, Republican Governor vetoed them both, that situation has been thrown to the courts and the courts have appointed a three-person panel to essentially draw the plan, this is what’s known as a special master panel, so Nevada basically failed to get a plan done.
Meanwhile, Washington, Utah, and New Mexico are coming close to an agreement.
Gary Moncrief “But nobody else is there. Wyoming and Montana actually aren’t even going to undertake their redistricting until 2012 and Hawaii’s not done, Arizona’s quite a ways from being done and Colorado’s not there yet, so while Idaho doesn’t look good in the sense that we had a commission, they had 90 days, they didn’t come up with anything, let’s keep it in perspective.”
Around the country, several states have already finalized their political maps, including Wisconsin and Iowa. Some of those maps have already been adopted while others face challenges in court.
Copyright 2011 BSPR
