Colorado Redistricting Commission Approves Congressional Map
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Late Tuesday, after seven rounds of voting and several hours of debate, the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission voted 11-1 to approve a congressional map. The commission is composed of four Democrats, four Republicans and four unaffiliated commissioners. Final plans must be approved by eight of the 12 commissioners, including at least two unaffiliated commissioners. Voters in the Centennial State passed amendments in 2018 to establish independent commissions for congressional and state legislative redistricting.
The approved map contains four Democratic districts, three Republican districts and one competitive district. Colorado gained one new seat in Congress in the latest census reapportionment, adding a new, highly competitive district north of Denver. Already, concerns have been raised that the map may not fairly represent the state’s sizable, and growing, Latino population. The new map could send an equal number of Democrats and Republicans to Congress, despite the fact that Colorado has gone blue in the past three presidential elections. The approved plan must be submitted to the Colorado Supreme Court for review. It is expected that Colorado’s state House and Senate maps will be released on Sunday, ahead of an Oct. 15 deadline to submit approved maps to the state Supreme Court.