SALEM â The Oregon Legislature could be cut out of drawing new legislative and congressional districts because of late Census Bureau data, lawmakers are expected to hear Wednesday, Feb. 3.
Kathleen M. Styles, chief of Decennial Communications and Stakeholder Relations for the U.S. Census Bureau is set to testify Wednesday afternoon before the Senate Redistricting Committee. According to meeting materials Styles submitted in advance, the bureau is months behind its timeline to provide the legally required data to draw maps that reflect population shifts since 2010.
The new districts would be used in the 2022 election. Oregon also is expected to gain a sixth congressional seat. In preparation for the reapportionment, the Legislature created the House and Senate redistricting committees.