Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

What happens when you try to put Ada, Canyon in one congressional district…

Idaho political historian, author and pundit Randy Stapilus tried his hand at the new redistricting software, which is publicly available for anyone to use, to draw up a division between Idaho's two congressional districts that would put all of Ada and Canyon counties, the state's most-populated, together in one district. The result wasn't pretty: Pretty much the entire state ends up in District 1, with just its southwestern corner, including Ada and Canyon, as District 2 – meaning a single representative would have to serve the widely differing and far-apart regions of North Idaho and eastern Idaho. Check out Stapilus' effort here. A bipartisan citizen redistricting commission will start its work in early June, to draw both new congressional district lines and new legislative districts, to match up with the latest census results.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

Follow Betsy online: