Under the plan, three rural districts, two in the northeast and one in the southeast, would morph into new districts in the Fargo area, the Williston area and the southwest corner of the state. The shifting lines mirror the trends of rural-to-urban migration and explosive growth in the once-sparsely populated Oil Patch.
North Dakota panel solidifies draft of new legislative districts thedickinsonpress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thedickinsonpress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Collette Brown, the Gaming Commission director for the Spirit Lake Nation, said sticking her tribe's reservation in a larger district with predominantly white rural areas has a "dilutive effect" on the Native American vote and prevents tribal members from electing the candidate of their choice. To remedy the issue, Brown suggested the redistricting panel split the full district in two to include a House district that encompasses the reservation.
The activists, who supported a failed attempt to establish an independent redistricting committee, say it's a conflict of interest for politicians to be selecting their voters, but North Dakota Voters First Director Rick Gion said the groups will do their best to ensure fairness in the lawmaker-driven process.
North Dakota conservatives aim to put term limits on ballot in 2022 jamestownsun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jamestownsun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.