Only about 40 minutes in to the first public hearing on redistricting, the public testimony is all done. "I think we're realizing more and more the complexity and some of the problems we're going to be faced with," said Allen Andersen, the citizen redistricting commission's co-chairman, who is presiding tonight. "We will come up with a plan, and I'm sure it's not going to be accepted 100 percent by everyone, but ... we will take into account all the information that we receive at these hearings."

Commissioner Julie Kane of Lapwai, an attorney, noted that the commission has to operate within certain constitutional and statutory requirements, including the one-person, one-vote rule as an overriding aim; a state constitutional requirement to minimize splits of counties; and requirements to preserve communities of interest. "Our goal is to try to make sure that each person's vote counts," she said.

The hearing then adjourned at 7:40 p.m. Boise time.