Redistricting would split county

Changes in Kansas’ four Congressional district boundaries that would split Jackson County’s representation in the U.S. House of Representatives between the First and Second districts has passed the Kansas Senate and was recommended for approval in the state House of Representatives, it has been reported.

The “Ad Astra 2” Congressional redistricting map, which could put nearly all of Jackson County and all of neighboring Jefferson County into the “Big First” district — a Congressional district that encompasses mainly the western part of Kansas — was approved Friday, Jan. 21 by the Kansas Senate largely along political party lines.

Only one Republican in the Senate — Dennis Pyle of Hiawatha, who represents Jackson County — voted in opposition to the map.

Following debate on the map yesterday in the House, where a flurry of alternative proposals adjusting Congressional map boundaries were put before representatives and rejected, legislators advanced the map for approval. The House is scheduled to return to session at 11 a.m. today.

For the past 10 years, all of Jackson and Jefferson counties were located in the Second Congressional District, which is currently represented by Congressman Jake LaTurner (R-Galena), who said he would “continue to monitor the situation and look forward to watching the process unfold.”

The map will also be subject to final approval by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, who has claimed reluctance to divide the Kansas City metropolitan area between the Second and Third districts — one of the map’s more controversial aspects, as critics of the map have claimed it represents an attempt to hamstring Third District Congresswoman Sharice Davids, a Democrat.

Francis Awerkamp (R-St. Marys), who represents the majority of Jackson County in the Kansas House of Representatives, said any allegation that the map was drawn to negatively affect Davids or any other incumbent member of Congress “occurs regardless of how a map is drawn.”

“No matter how a map is drawn, someone will benefit and someone will be harmed in relation to the voter make-up,” Rep. Awerkamp said.

Pyle and Kansas Rep. Randy Garber — who currently represents the northern part of Jackson County in the House and introduced three redistricting map proposals of his own yesterday, only to see them rejected by the House — were contacted for comment on the matter but did not respond by press time.

Redrawing of Kansas’ four Congressional districts generally occurs every 10 years, following the results of the decennial census, and district boundaries are redrawn to reflect changes in population, it has been noted.

The “Ad Astra 2” map, drawn and amended by Republicans prior to its approval in the Senate, divides the state evenly with “zero deviation” in population between the four districts, which Awerkamp said is “very important for maps to pass a court challenge.”

Awerkamp also stated that LaTurner and First District Congressman Tracey Mann (R-Salina) have “very similar voting records.”

“Should these incumbent Congressmen seek re-election, they will likely win, and therefore Jackson County should see little to no change in their representation in Washington, D.C.,” Awerkamp added.

The original “Ad Astra” map placed the entirety of Jackson County into the First District, but a revised version of the map — dubbed “Ad Astra 2” — was drafted to avoid splitting the Kickapoo Indian reservation, which includes part of northern Jackson County, between districts.

As a result, “Ad Astra 2” keeps that part of Jackson County north of 286th Road — including the communities of Netawaka and Whiting — and a small section south of 286th in the northeastern part of the county that is included in the Kickapoo reservation boundaries within the Second District. The rest, along with all of Jefferson County and part of Douglas County — including the city of Lawrence — would be part of the “Big First” if the map is approved.

Complaints about the map, stemming mainly from Democrats, surrounded the proposed division of Wyandotte County between the Second and Third districts and the placement of traditionally liberal Lawrence in the largely rural and conservative First District.

To read the rest of the article, please subscribe to The Holton Recorder. 

The Holton Recorder

109 W. Fourth St.
Holton, KS 66436
Phone: 785-364-3141
 

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