South Iowa News

While many states across the country are bracing for partisan battles over redistricting, Iowa lawmakers are set to redraw political boundaries in the state without the typical fights that accompany the process. 

Redrawing districts has become a heated issue in many states, with political parties gerrymandering districts in an effort to get a competitive advantage over their opponents. However, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate took to Facebook to assure residents this won’t be the case in the Hawkeye State. 

“Iowa’s process for redistricting is a model for the rest of the nation because we take the politics out of it,” he wrote in the Aug. 11 post. “The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency creates the maps, and they are strictly forbidden from using political data. We’re the only state in the country that handles the process this way.”

The state’s redistricting process kicks off with the first proposed redistricting maps presented to the Iowa Legislature on Sept. 16, according to U.S. News and World Report, and state law requires public hearings be held within 14 days. 

The state has a five-member Iowa Redistricting Advisory Commission, which U.S. News and World Report reported will hold virtual hearings Sept. 20-22 to discuss the new electoral map, giving the public an opportunity to chime in. It will then meet Sept. 23 to discuss the report it is required to provide to the Iowa Legislature, including any public comments made during the hearing, which will be offered virtually. 

Ultimately, the process can make some districts more competitive and others less competitive, according to the Iowa Public Radio. The state constitution requires that the state legislature approve the redistricting by Sept. 1, but a delay in census data means lawmakers will not be able to meet that deadline.