Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission, proposes New Congressional Voting Districts Map, and a Group of about 30 Latina Power Brokers considered its Implications.
The Commission has placed the State's New 8th Congressional District in Denver’s Northern Suburbs, a Decision aimed at reflecting Colorado’s Growing Hispanic Community. But the Latina Professionals worried the Plan would Not Represent their Community Adequately.
In the Once-a-Decade Process, new U.S. Census Data helps decide how States Redraw the Boundaries of Voting Districts that Elect Legislators to the House of Representatives. The Mapping decisions can play a role in determining Control of Congress by Consolidating or Dispersing Voters of similar Political Views. But the Count was Stopped Early, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, so th Final Count will be Short of Actual Counted Residents.
In most States, Legislatures draw New Districts, leaving little room for Public Input. But in 2018, Colorado became One of 10 States that rely on Independent Redistricting Commissions to Reduce Partisanship, Opening New Channels for Public Participation.
That Change, coupled with Increased Awareness of how the Plotting of Electoral Lines can shift Political Advantage, has brought wider Scrutiny to the Preliminary Map, released in Colorado, on June 23rd.
Voters, Advocacy Groups, and aspiring Congressional Candidates, are weighing in on the District Lines, which will Change once the State gets Final Census Data, later this year, and as a Result of Input at the Public Hearings.
Colorado's Hispanic Population grew to 24% of the Total in 2019, up from 21% in 2010, according to State Data. Yet Colorado has No Hispanic U.S. Lawmakers, prompting Community Leaders to seek Greater Representation through Redistricting.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-6th District):
It’s clear that Republicans who voted against Jan. 6th commission are only concerned with power and winning re-election.
Under the Commission’s Plan, the New 8th District, which the State received because of overall Population Growth since 2010, would pull in many of the Liberal Cities North of Denver.
Hispanics would Constitute 29.9% of the Proposed District, "a great start," said Mike Ferrufino, President of the Colorado Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. But he said the Lines should be tweaked to include more Cities that Reflect the Area's full Hispanic Community, pointing out that heavily Hispanic Commerce City was only Partly included in the District.
In addition to the Number of Hispanic Voters, Ferrufino and other Hispanic Leaders said the Overall Diversity and Attitudes of Voters in any District also affected whether Hispanic Candidates could Competitively Run for Congress.
Rosemary Rodriguez, a Co-Founder of the 30-year-old Cafecito gathering, said the Group's Newsletter reached more than 800 Women, and she planned to use that Platform to Galvanize Latino participation in the Redistricting Process.
Dividing Denver's Progressive Electorate evenly across Two Districts would achieve more Diverse Representation than keeping it mostly in One District, as the Commission's Preliminary Map would, Rodriguez said. “Denver can bear the split. Its identity is solid, and if it helps more people of color to run, that’s a great reason to do it,” said Rodriguez, who worked to Engage hard-to-reach Communities during the 2020 Census.
Cecelia Espenoza, a Captain in Colorado’s Democratic Party, said she had been thinking of Running for Congress, if Denver was Divided across Two Districts. But she was reconsidering after the Preliminary map left Denver almost entirely in its Single District, which has been Represented by Diana DeGette (D) since 1997.
The Proposal for the State's New District would push its current 7th District into more Conservative Counties Southwest of Denver, making it potentially more Competitive for Republicans.
In Marston, One of the Denver Neighborhoods that is Represented by DeGette but could end up with a more Conservative Lawmaker, Monica Ray, 34, a stay-at-home Mother, was Alarmed at the prospect. “We’re registered Democrats; we’ve been really happy with our representative,” she said.
Marston Teacher Stewart Ratliff, 33, said he would prefer to Vote in the more Politically Diverse District, however, as a Registered Unaffiliated Voter who has “libertarian values with a conservative swing."
The proposed Changes also are generating buzz hundreds of miles away from Denver, on Colorado's Western Slope.
The Commission's Map would Solidify the Republican base in the District Represented by Lauren Boebert, a First-Term Republican Congresswoman closely Aligned with Trump.
Despite adding several Liberal Towns including Vail, the Hometown of Boebert's Top Democratic Challenger so far, the Map adds Larger Conservative areas to Boebert's District, such as Canon City, Boosting her Republican Electorate Overall.
"I'm gonna win!" said Boebert, when asked for her Reaction to the New Map, on Wednesday, as she attended a Trump Speech near an Unfinished Section of U.S.-Mexican Border Wall in Texas.
Sara Blackhurst,Ppresident of
Action 22, a Regional Advocacy Organization representing Colorado’s Southern Counties, praised the Commission’s Decision Not to let Urban areas Dilute Colorado’s Two main Rural Districts: the Western Slope Region and the State’s Eastern Plains.
But some Residents in the Eclectic Mountain Town of Nederland, where a Pride flag hangs from the Town Hall, were Distressed at the thought of being Moved from a Deeply Democratic District to Boebert's. Rick Merrill, 69, a retired professional dancer who said he usually votes Democratic, Vowed to do whatever he could to Avoid that Scenario. “It’s utterly unfair to a community like Nederland because our vote would be totally negated,” he said.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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