Nevada’s Redistricting Special Session To Begin Tomorrow
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Nov. 11, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) announced that the state’s special session dedicated to redistricting will begin tomorrow, Nov. 12. Typically, Nevada completes redistricting during its 120-day regular session, but it had to reconvene for a special session this fall due to delays in release of census data. Sisolak will issue the official proclamation tomorrow when state offices reopen after the Veterans Day holiday, but today stated that he was looking forward to “an efficient and productive session.” According to the Nevada Independent, lawmakers hope to wrap up the process before Thanksgiving, giving the Legislature less than two weeks to approve new maps.
On Tuesday, Nevada Democrats released draft proposals for congressional and state legislative districts. Democrats have full control over the redistricting process with Democratic majorities in both chambers in the Legislature and the governorship. Currently, there are three Democrats and one Republican in Nevada’s congressional delegation; the first proposed map maintains a similar split, but the three Democratic-leaning seats remain competitive. Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson (D) and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D) released a joint statement in favor of the proposed maps: “Reflecting Nevada’s increasing racial and ethnic diversity, these maps strive to both protect and expand the voting power of African-American and Hispanic Nevadans while increasing opportunities for representation for Nevada’s emergent and growing AAPI population over the coming decade.”