In 2018, the Colorado General Assembly referred Senate Concurrent Resolutions 18-004 and 18-005 to the voters, as Amendment Y, which addressed Congressional Redistricting, and Amendment Z, which addressed Legislative Redistricting. Both passed with over 70% approval in the 2018 General Election. The measures were very similar in the details, except for some of the deadlines, which were staggered by about two weeks.
Staff anticipates each commission will meet 4-6 times in February and March, 2021, and at least 25 times in summer and early fall of 2021. Many of these meetings will be held at the State Capitol Building in Denver. However, the state constitution requires each commission to conduct at least 3 public hearings in each of the state’s 7 congressional districts, so commissioners will also be expected to travel to these hearings.
Pursuant to Senate Bill 20-186, members of the commissions receive a per diem of $200 for attendance at regularly scheduled meetings of the commission, as well as reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred while performing official duties, together with mileage at the rate at which members of the General Assembly are reimbursed ($0.52/mile).
Commission staff is seeking partner organizations to promote the commission applications and encourage participation from diverse communities. Please email colorado.redistricting2020@state.co.us if your organization is interested in partnering with us.
Commissioner Selection Process
Each commission must have 12 members, 4 from the state’s largest political party, which is currently the Democratic Party, 4 from the state’s second largest political party, which is currently the Republican Party, and 4 who are not affiliated with any political party. Each commission must include at least one member residing in each current congressional district and at least one member from the Western Slope. Each commission must, to the extent possible, reflect Colorado’s racial, ethnic, gender, and geographic diversity.
Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission
The state legislature has 35 state senators and 65 state representatives. The US Census is conducted every ten years, and afterward state legislative districts are redrawn to have nearly equal populations. Since voters approved its creation in 1974, the Colorado Reapportionment Commission (reapportionment commission) has convened after each U.S. Census to draw new state legislative district maps. The reapportionment commission consisted of 11 members appointed by legislative leaders, the Governor, and the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. Up to 6 of the 11 members were permitted under law to be affiliated with the same political party. The state legislature provided the reapportionment commission with nonpartisan staff support. The reapportionment commission was required to draft preliminary maps for state senate and house districts and hold public hearings on the maps throughout the state. Its final maps must had to have the support of a simple majority of commissioners, and they were submitted to the Colorado Supreme Court for approval.
In 2018, Amendment Z replaced the reapportionment commission with the Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission, which is charged with drawing the state’s legislative districts. You can apply for the Legislative Redistricting Commission here.
Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission
Colorado currently has seven seats in the US House of Representatives. The US Census is conducted every ten years, and afterward the US Congress reapportions the number of congressional seats each state has based on population. Prior to the passage of Amendment Y in 2018, the state legislature was responsible for dividing the state into these allocated congressional districts. If the state legislature failed to complete a new map of congressional districts during the legislative session after the census, legal challenges often resulted in state courts drawing the map. The process resulted in court action the last four times congressional redistricting occurred. The courts could consider certain factors when evaluating maps, but state law did not direct how the courts should prioritize the factors.
Amendment Y transferred the authority to draw congressional district maps from the state legislature to a newly created Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission. You can apply for the Congressional Redistricting Commission here.
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