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Local input invaluable in helping board redraw state’s House, Senate districts Final meeting for public comment is July 25
of the Governor, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State. Te executive director of the Board and staff from each of the board members’ offices have sought input from Arkansas citizens in a series of public meetings held in areas all across the state.
O
Te Board has posted important information online at
arkansasredistricting.org. Here, you will find current and proposed maps, an events calendar, public comments and documents related to the Board’s work. As of now, the Board has received feedback from communities, public officials and citizens, stating their preferences and their concerns about these new maps. While only three constitutional officers sit on the Board, redistricting is a statewide process, and local input is an invaluable tool as the Board fulfills its responsibility of re- drawing maps that match Arkansas’s new population requirements.
Since redistricting takes place only once a decade, there are now technological innovations to improve the process and make it more efficient than before. Ten years ago, it was October before the new district maps were finalized. At the initial meeting, Governor Beebe expressed the desire to finish redistricting by the end of July. Accordingly, the Attorney General has recommended the Board hold a final vote on House and Senate maps on July 29, at 9:30 a.m., in the Old Supreme Court Chamber at the State Capitol.
However, even with an accelerated timeline, the Board of
Apportionment wants to gather the public’s response from throughout Arkansas. Hearings across the state began in May and continued into
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Conference, the United States Head of Delegation for the Arctic Moni- toring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), Associate to the Chair for development of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) response to Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Implementa- tion Plan, a United States delegate for the United Nations Framework Council on Climate Change, advisor on DOI’s International Polar Year activities, a DOI principal to the CEQ-OSTP-NOAA Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, and as Chair of the Science Committee for the Department of the Interior’s Climate Change Task Force. Tom has also participated in numerous testimonies and briefings to various Congres- sional Committees and high-level briefings for DOI at various interna- tional forums regarding climate change, adaptation and circum-Arctic activities. Dr. Fabien Laurier serves as the Acting Director of the USGCRP
COUNTY LINES, SUMMER 2011
Integration and Coordination Office (ICO). In his capacity, he oversees the office’s activities related to the USGCRP’s scientific integration, planning, evaluation, prioritization, assessment, and communication activities through coordination with the Subcommittee on Global Change Research (USGCRP Principals) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Prior to that, Fabien served as USGCRP ICO focal point for the program’s scientific assessment activities. Before joining the USGCRP in August 2006, Fabien was a research scientist at the Univer- sity of Maryland, his work focused on the ocean-atmosphere interac- tions and implications for ocean chemistry. Fabien Laurier received his Ph.D. (summa cum laude) in chemical oceanography from Pierre and Marie Curie University and his Masters degree (cum laude) in Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Sciences in 1998 from the same University.
Exciting stuff, I know you will agree. See you there! 11
ver the past few months, the three members of the Board of Apportionment have been working to adjust the 35 Senate districts and 100 House districts in the Arkansas legislature to make them equable. Te Board is composed
early July. After the feedback from those hearings is collected, additional maps will be released. All proposed maps will be published no later than 4 p.m. on July 19.
Once all maps have been published, the public will have another opportunity to review and comment on these maps, and the Board will hold a final meeting for public comment at 6 p.m. on July 25, in Little Rock.
Hon. Mike Beebe Governor of Arkansas
From The Governor
Legislative districts will follow population shifts, meaning that more rapidly growing parts of the state will see additional districts in their regions. Tis will mean fewer districts in areas where fewer people now live. In recent years, Arkansas has seen a general population shift from the southeast part of Arkansas toward the northwest. Te challenge is to draw these districts in ways that are legally sound, while still trying to keep the representation of communities intact whenever possible.
Whatever the final result, some people will be happy, and others will be upset. Every time new maps are adopted, there are legal challenges, and it is expected that lawsuits will be brought this time, too. Te Board of Apportionment’s job is to draw maps that will sustain legal scrutiny and maintain fair representation for our people. Te Board is confident that it will be able to do that.
Mike Beebe
Te Honorable Mike Beebe Governor of Arkansas
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