Iowa's next redistricting battle will be local
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
This year’s redistricting saga isn’t over: Iowa officials are now gearing up to redraw precinct and ward boundaries for school, city and county seats.
Why it matters: Even minor boundary changes can lead to leadership shakeups.
- Example: Polk County Supervisor Tom Hockensmith represented a different district prior to the last redistricting a decade ago.
Driving the news: This is the first redistricting cycle since Republican lawmakers changed Iowa law three years ago and removed much of the power of county-appointed commissions to draw maps for supervisor seats.
- The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency (LSA) now handles the process for the 39 Iowa counties that require voters to choose a candidate who lives in their district. (Other counties elect supervisors via at-large votes.)
Between the lines: It’s a power play.
- Republicans like Rep. Zach Nunn of Bondurant in 2018 argued the old process was "corrupt, corrosive and clearly illegitimate."
- Democrats said the change infringed on local control to dilute their influence.
State of play: Democratic supervisors are narrowly in the majority in the state’s two largest counties (Polk, 3-2; Linn, 2-1).
- Both use an election plan that requires the LSA to draw its new boundaries.
What’s next: Local governments still draw boundaries for precincts, council and school board districts.
- Polk County last week appointed a five-member panel to review unincorporated precinct boundaries.
- Des Moines has tentatively scheduled a special City Council meeting to address redistricting on Nov. 30, city spokesman Al Setka told Axios last week.
Of note: Cities have 60 days and counties have 90 to complete maps after Iowa approved its new congressional and legislative districts on Nov. 4.