The special session for redistricting wrapped up on Thursday with final reading. After a slow start, and many discussions and negotiations, the districts were redrawn as required by the state constitution. As is always the case, not everyone is totally happy with the results – but that probably indicates that the necessary give-and-take played a role in getting the work done.

The six district maps included the Public Service Commission, Supreme Court judicial districts, State Board of Education, Board of Regents for the University of Nebraska System, Congress and the Legislature.  Those last two on the list generated the most debate. 

As far as electing members of Congress, our area is split between congressional districts 1 and 3. The third district includes most of the entire state outside of Lincoln or Omaha and encompasses 80 of the state’s 93 counties. Much of the discussion on this bill focused on splitting Sarpy County or Douglas County. 

There are good arguments for keeping counties whole; likewise, there are good reasons for splitting counties to achieve the correct population in each district. The ideal congressional district, based on the state population from the 2020 census, divided by three, is 653,835 people. Due to the shift in population from west to eastern areas, the third district needed an additional 53,000 people to meet the ideal number. Lancaster County did remain in the first district, and Gage County remained in the third district.

The legislative map was by far the most complicated with 49 districts. District 30 had grown to be the fifth largest district with over 43,000 people, and had to be redrawn to bring the number down closer to the ideal of 40,031 people. The new map includes all of Gage County, a small portion of southeast Lancaster County and a narrow part of Lincoln. Regrettably, the Bennet area had to be moved into District 25; and the Firth area moved into District 32.  A verbal description of the district is really difficult to follow, so I would recommend viewing the map online:  http://news.legislature.ne.gov/red/  

Once the new maps are completed and in force, and posted to the Legislature’s website, you can always use the “find your senator” feature along the right side of the home page. Simply enter your street address.

The other four maps referenced above range from having just five to eight districts, so most of those have at least one district with a vast territory in the western half of the state. The truth of the matter is that once you get past Grand Island, the population totals drop off rapidly. One good point brought up repeatedly in our debates was the need to focus on and fund the sections of rural Nebraska that are losing population. We also need to be aware of the needs in our urban areas. Nebraska works best when all our citizens are given attention.

As our focus turns to the coming session in January, I urge you to be in contact with my office about your concerns and with your ideas. mdorn@leg.ne.gov  402.471-2620  P.O Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509. Remember to watch out for harvest equipment moving slowly through the area these next few weeks and stay safe.