Iowa’s counties to tackle redistricting

The hoopla over Iowa's new congressional and state legislative districts may be over, but that doesn't mean the work is over for mapmakers.

Iowa's counties are next up for the once-a-decade chore to redraw government and election precinct boundaries to match the 2010 census.

It's a straightforward process for most Eastern Iowa counties, but new legislative districts approved last month can complicate things.

“The biggest problem we're going to have is, when they created the legislative districts they put three townships in two districts in the southern portion of our county, and you can't split those,” said Washington County Auditor Bill Frederick.

“It should be somewhat simple, other than I went from one House district and one Senate district to two of each,” said Buchanan County Auditor Cindy Gosse.

State law requires counties to ensure precinct boundaries don't cross legislative district lines. Precinct population can't exceed 3,500, and precincts must be contiguous within a single county, following census block boundaries.

Counties are responsible for precinct lines only in unincorporated areas. Cities are responsible for precincts within their limits.

Counties' governance determines how their redistricting is done. In “Plan One” counties like Buchanan, supervisors are elected at-large without residency requirements and they draw the new precinct and supervisor district boundaries.

In the area, Iowa, Cedar, and Johnson are also Plan One counties. Jones and Benton counties are Plan Two, where supervisors are elected at-large but are required to live in districts. Plan Two county supervisors draw precinct lines but name a temporary commission to draw district boundaries.

Linn, Washington, and Delaware counties are Plan Three, where supervisors are elected to represent the districts in which they live. Supervisors in Plan Three counties also appoint a redistricting commission, which draw both precinct and district boundaries.

The work, which has to be done by Oct. 15, may mean a few more election precincts for counties that gained population. Some rural counties may be able to avoid changes altogether.

“We're going to have to look at numbers, and how populations have moved,” said Charles Crawley of Cedar Rapids, named to Linn County's commission last month.

The job for Crawley and the four other commissioners is complicated by the population displacements caused by the June 2008 flood.

“I'm sure they lost,” Crawley said of the flooded areas, “and the population growth out in that Prairie (school) district is just astounding.”

Despite the population increase, Linn Auditor Joel Miller hopes the commission will reduce the number of precincts from the county's current 86. County auditors assist their supervisors or commissions with redistricting, providing precinct maps and population information.

Miller said he'd like to see the county's less-populous townships “double up” to form a single election precinct.

“Hopefully we can end up with less precincts, which reduces my equipment costs” on election days, Miller said.

It cost the county about $140,000 to conduct the May 3 local-option sales tax referendum, Miller said. General elections run $330,000 to $440,000.

The latest Census dictates Johnson County will gain at least two precincts, but supervisors are also considering eliminating some precincts, said County Auditor Tom Slockett.

North Liberty will add at least two precincts to its present two, and Slockett said the City Council has asked him to draw up maps for three more. Coralville will gain at least one precinct and is considering adding two more, Slockett said.

Meanwhile, Tiffin will lose its own precinct and will be part of a new one with Clear Creek.

Slockett said he's considering a recent state law allowing auditors to establish “vote centers” in which residents of a jurisdiction may vote at any polling place.

“That way (voters) could have a larger number of precincts to use for a presidential election,” he said.

Comments: (319) 398-5819; steve.gravelle@sourcemedia.net