Lang
10/5/21
Iowa Republicans have rejected the first proposed map that redraws congressional and legislative districts.
The Iowa Senate rejected the first proposed map by a straight 32-18 party line vote on Tuesday, with Republicans expressing concerns with the proposed changes.
The once-a-decade redistricting exercise rebalances the districts to coincide with population shifts, which in Iowa were generally away from rural areas to larger cities. The Legislature must consider maps released by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency. The LSA is responsible for following detailed guidelines to ensure population balance among the congressional and legislative districts and to prevent political influence in the initial drafting of changes.
The Legislature may only accept or reject the first two sets of maps without amendment. A third set of maps may be amended. Given the Republican majority in the Legislature, the GOP would control that process.
The LSA will now draw up new maps for the second attempt, which could take weeks.