Iowa Legislature Public Hearings

Anonymous [General Public]

With the release of the results of the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency in creating their new maps for whom will represent Iowans as a result of the 2020 Census, almost every Iowa news agency has been sure to go to great lengths that this process was done so in an extremely non partisan way. Unfortunately, in every one of those published articles explaining that, they go on to further explain that there will be a republican stronghold in two districts, one district will be a tossup, and the fourth will be a democratic stronghold. Now I don't know about you, but to me it seems like if a news organization is able to immediately able to see if there will be strongholds, then something seems fishy about this being nonpartisan. I want to explain that I am a cartographer, and in first looking at these new districts, I felt that it was obvious there would be strongholds for each party, but I don't think the news organizations are being very honest in their reporting. Riddle me this; the 1st district will comprise of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and Quad City metro areas, there is an obvious democratic stronghold. The second district includes Ames and Cedar Falls/Waterloo metro areas, with numerous other smaller Cities like Marshalltown, Newton, Grinnell, and Ottumwa for example, and could be considered a tossup. District three including the DSM metro area is the likeliest democratic stronghold, and district 4 including most of the western half of the sate being a republican stronghold. By my math, that leaves 2 likely democratic leaning districts, 1 republican, and 1 toss up. The districts being used since 2011 make a lot more sense, and I am unsure what the reasoning is for the drastic change, but when then the chairperson for Polk County Democrats and the Iowa House Democratic Leader come out immediately and state they are in full support of the new districts or will vote yes for them within the FIRST HOUR of them being released, that should spark some questions pretty quickly as to whether or not there is a benefit for a certain party going forward if they are approved. I also am not pleased with Poweshiek County being redistricted from 1 to 2. Lumping the citizens from the south central section of the state with the entire northeast corner of the state is awfully odd. The more you look at the 2011 map and compare it to the proposed new district map, all I come up with are more questions related to, why? Vote no to accept this, redraw without planning for strongholds, take a look at the map drawn by the winner of the 2021 Iowa redistricting challenge won by Cory Mccartan. It had a deviation of 5 people per district and if unfamiliar with it, its possible you haven't seen what other maps could look like that make more sense, further giving reason to not accept. Ultimately, if the proposed congressional district map isn't partisan, can we see the one that is?

Anonymous []

It appears that the independent committee put together a fair map for the state. I hope it will be approved as such.

Kate Cowles [General public]

LSA's plan appears to have met all of the statutory standards for redistricting. Please vote for this first plan, and keep Iowa's redistricting process nonpartisan.

Mike Schluckebier []

I support Iowa's nonpartisan redistricting process and the first maps the LSA has produced. I urge you to approve them.

Anonymous []

Compactness should mean something.One Congressional district with only 13 counties? Another with 44? C'mon. There are higher population counties you can mix in to make the districts much more balanced in terms of geographic size. For example, you could add Dallas and Story into the district in NW Iowa and that would shave a lot of geography off of it by allocating some smaller population counties into the districts that have a smaller geographic footprint.Additionally, I am concerned about the compactness of some of the legislative districts. For example, you essentially created a doughnut in Linn and Johnson Counties utilizing the rural areas. That's highly inappropriate. You've also created a sprawling snake of a district utilizing the rural areas of Polk County. While I appreciate the efforts to focus on population distribution, some other aspects of Iowa Code related to redistricting were ignored or overlooked. I trust that the Legislature will decline this map and that the LSA will provide a more balanced map for round 2.

Susan Judkins [Clive City Council Member]

Thank you for moving the comment period along very quickly upon release of the maps. I just learned of the public input sessions on 9/20, 9/21 and 9/22 and am already too late to submit comments for 9/20. The new maps demonstrate the impact of population declines in rural parts of the state, which results in many incumbent legislators being put into the district as another incumbent. The nonpartisan LSA has done their usual good job of balancing the population of each district, without regard to the address of sitting elected officials. Therefore, the maps should be retained

Sarah Crane Swisher [5th Generation Iowan, Retired Nurse]

Iowas nonpartisan reapportionment system assures that all voters' interests are represented in an equitable demographic, geographic, and unbiased manner. The work of the Legislative Service Agency is not about the next general election, it is about shaping a strong representational democracy for the next decade. This mapping system we have used in the past has allowed elected officials, regardless of party, and ordinary Iowans to proudly boast that we are a fair state, ripe with opportunities to welcome and embrace new Iowans, new families, and new businesses. What might new Iowans be seeking?. A beautiful blend of agriculture and technology, a state where wind power and environmental protection means something, a state where education is excellent and where children are raised to become honest and participating citizens. Harsh partisan positions do not attract families to Iowa. Manipulation of long effective rules in order to benefit one group over another does not attract new Iowans. In recent memory both major parties have held the legislative and executive branches and have had opportunities to seek change in our nationally recognized system, but have never done so. Any effort to alter a long respected methodology means bad decisions will surely lead to national attention, attention that is not helpful in establishing long term prosperity for our beloved state.

Ron Millsap []

My wife and I live one quarter mile from the north edge of the Ottumwa city limits. Yet, our state representive and state senator are chosen from the Oskaloosa/Centerville district.We've been told our road (Sycamore Rd.) is the dividing line. We live on the west side of Sycamore. Please move the line determining the district to the west as far as possible so those of us who are more interested in Ottumwa area issues are able to vote for people who truly represent us.Thank you for this consideration, Ron Millsap 12332 Sycamore Rd. Ottumwa, Ia. 52501 641.799.3627

Anonymous [General Public]

Please disclose the party affiliation of all on the committee. Does not appear nonpartisan to me. Any time district lines are going all over the place, something funky is happening. I do not support these maps.

Andrew Puetz [General Public]

Following the guidelines, to create balanced districts based on population changes, is the key to making Iowa's elections as fair and as balanced as is possible. This iterations of legislative districts does this, by and large, for the betterment of Iowans.

Art Hackett [Retired]

This is my first experience with Iowa's redistricting system as a voter but I was aware of it because I came here as a TV Reporter to study it while living in Wisconsin. Wisconsin had a history of gerrymandering which reached its peak in 2011. In 2010 Republicans gained solid majorities in both houses. Redistricting was done in total secrecy in the office of a Milwaukee Law Firm. Lawmakers were forbidden from even telling their constituants how the system worked. It was consided legal work product controlled by the Republican caucuses of both houses even though it was paid for by the taxpayers. It was only because of a series of recall elections which temporarily gave Democrats control of the state Senate and thus custody of the documentation.Wisconsin now has split control between the legislative and executive branches and is trying to achieve fair maps but it is uncertain if they will succeed. Previous testimony has shown Iowans like the current system. Legislators know that many of the things they do will be unpopular. This is a rare chance to do something that will be popular.

Jeanie Smith [General Public]

The redistricting map is fair. Iowa should be enormously proud of the process the LSA uses to draw the map without political favoritism. Approve this map!

Evan Burger [General Public]

I will speak in favor of this map. As I wrote in the attached article, the LSA has done an excellent job of balancing population equality with both measures of compactness.

Robert Walter []

I believe that the proposed maps should be accepted asis because it follows Iowas required non partisan re districting process and are very balanced maps in terms of population.