A long line of Republican lawmakers have voiced dismay with proposed maps outlining Montana’s new legislative districts. Lawmakers can offer feedback but can’t change the maps.
Republicans are opposing the maps that came from the Districting and Apportionment Commission after Democrats won the non-partisan chair’s tie-breaking vote to advance their map proposals in December.
In a draft of lawmakers’ recommendations to the commission, Republican Sen. Jason Ellsworth from Hamilton laid out several concerns with the maps, including the splitting of a few towns, communities of interest and the compactness of some districts.
“I don’t think … the heart of the Constitution hasn’t been followed,” Ellsworth said.
Two dozen lawmakers and Montana residents agreed with Ellsworth in a committee hearing reviewing the Legislature's feedback. Many also took issue with the districting commission using political competitiveness as a criteria to draw districts.
Republicans criticized districts in the Flathead, Great Falls, central and eastern Montana for including both rural and urban areas.
Montana GOP chairman Don Kaltschmidt said he sees the proposed districts as politically beneficial to Democrats. He said in an interview with MTPR after the meeting he thinks there is an appetite among Republicans to challenge the proposed maps in court if the commission declines to make amendments.
Democratic Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy from Box Elder said he’s seen the suppression of Native Americans voters through redistricting and knows what unfair districts look like. He said he supports the maps proposed.
“So I understand not being heard. I understand not being represented,” Windy Boy said.
Lawmakers will continue taking public comment until Thursday at noon, and will meet with the chair of the districting commission on Friday morning in the Capitol.
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Montanans will elect 100 representatives and 25 state senators to the Legislature this election. It’s the first time candidates are running in districts redrawn with 2020 census data. -
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Montana Districting CommissionA Republican backed constitutional amendment would prohibit the use of political data to draw election maps, and give lawmakers more say over a process that is largely out of their control. -
A bill to establish Indigenous Peoples' Day is defeated. A debate stirs over property taxes. And Republicans say new legislative districts put them at a disadvantage. -
Shaylee RagarMontana’s commission in charge of drawing new political districts has adopted final maps that will be in place for the next decade. Democrats’ map won on a tie-breaking vote. -
https://mtredistricting.gov/state-legislative-maps-proposed-by-the-commission/Republican lawmakers are continuing to question the constitutionality of the proposed maps for the state's political boundaries. They’ve advanced amendments that they want to see in the final drawing
