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State Redistricters Lay Out Procedures

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by Stephen Simpson, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

August 11, 2021

Representatives of the Arkansas Board of Apportionment told a group Tuesday that when it comes to redistricting, the state’s constitution requires the population count to be the main priority over community interests and economics.

Betty Dickey, coordinator of the Board of Apportionment and former Arkansas chief justice, told those who attended the hearing, held at the University of Arkansas in Hope, that the maps board staff members have been presenting to the public over the past few weeks will be modified when the official 2020 U.S. Census data comes in.

Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, asked the Board of Apportionment how many legislative seats they anticipate south Arkansas losing once the redistricting process gets underway.

Kevin Niehaus, spokesman for the secretary of state’s office, said it was difficult to answer that question without the exact 2020 numbers, but based on 2019 census data used for projections, it appears across the state that three House seats and one Senate seat will be moved.

“Depending on where those seats are, you can potentially reconfigure based on which seats get moved up,” he said. “Northwest Arkansas it looks like three House seats and one Senate seat. We don’t know yet where those are coming from yet. I can’t say they are coming from the south. It really depends on when we get the numbers and when we start fiddling with the maps.”

Read the full article HERE.

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