Why Redistricting Matters
The Nebraska Legislature is meeting this month to discuss a topic many feel may be inconsequential, yet will have so much to do with our future. When the Legislature convenes for special session in mid-to-late September, the sole topic is redistricting. The Nebraska Legislature is charged with drawing district lines for Legislature, State Board of Education, University of Nebraska Board of Regents, Public Service Commission, and the United States House of Representatives. This is a great deal of work to be done in a matter of just the few weeks they are scheduled to be in session.
Many people wonder why this is so important to us locally here in Lincoln. First and foremost, it not only impacts the district for those who represent us in those offices listed above, this will have a tremendous impact on the district lines locally as well. I am referring to City Council, County Board, Lincoln Public Schools, and the Natural Resource District. All of these matter because they have taxing authority over the citizens of Lincoln and Lancaster County.
Once the Legislature has drawn the lines for Legislative Districts, the county election officials will receive the maps of the districts and then be able to build their precincts throughout their county. Once the county election official has those precincts drawn, the local political subdivisions will then have to go through their process to determine district boundaries. Now, this may seem like a somewhat easy enough process on the surface, but this year the U.S. Census data wasn’t released until just a few weeks ago. Normally the data is released sometime in early spring to allow the process to happen. Now, the Legislature and other political subdivisions are in a holding pattern with a deadline of completing their task by the end of the year. Here’s the reason—beginning in January, candidates can begin filing for office to be on the ballot in the 2022 elections. Although many are out there saying they are running for office in 2022, it doesn’t become official until they submit official paperwork to be on the ballot.
Bringing this even more local to each of us, the redistricting process will possibly have an impact on who represents all of us, depending on the lines of different political subdivisions and how the census data has changed in our community. Since this process only takes place once every decade, these decisions will have a great impact on how district lines are set for the next 10 years.
Remember, if you will, what Lincoln looked like in 2011. Our community has grown in almost every direction since the 2010 Census and as redistricting happened in 2011. Redistricting matters in our daily lives in the most micro level—this impacts those political subdivisions who are voting on our property tax levies and making decisions on who our representatives may be now and for the future. This also will impact those who want to run for office as they consider the new district they may be “drawn into” and whether or not they are interested in running for office. This could mean changes in representatives which is one of the key reasons why we must pay attention. I don’t believe the districts as we see them today will necessarily remain the same. Don’t forget, each local political subdivision gets to draw the lines for their districts. This will be an arduous process that we will continue to monitor as the process moves forward. Stay tuned. Stay informed. Most of all, if you have opinions about the process, please stand up and have your voice be heard.