Lawmakers previewed congressional and state Senate maps proposed by the public Tuesday morning, one of the steps they’ve decided to take before presenting their own maps in January.
Nine plans were shown to the chamber’s Redistricting Committee. But the hourlong presentation may not be that meaningful.
Senator Jack Johnson, the chair of the committee, says the main point of the meeting was to make the maps publicly accessible. But there’s been no indication of which they are considering. In total there were nine plans presented for consideration, but none came from Republicans who have the final say.
Those who did present maps, including Senate Democrats, say they tried to keep counties together. That reflects federal and state law which requires map drawers to try and stick to county boundaries as much as possible, something that’s not simple when there’s 33 districts and 95 counties, and with a large portion of the state’s population residing in Davidson and Shelby.
Along with Senate Democrats, Congressman Jim Cooper, the Equity Alliance and three other individuals submitted maps. The public can contact committee members to provide feedback.
The House’s committee on redistricting will meet Friday to release their plans, those submitted by the public and other House members.
