Minn. Group Aims To Bypass Redistricting Politics
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- A new group called Draw the Line Minnesota hopes to involve voters in redrawing political maps without regard for incumbents and other partisan concerns.
The citizens redistricting commission plans public hearings this month in the state's eight congressional districts, starting next week in Minneapolis and Northfield.
The 15-member commission aims to prepare voters for a court-appointed panel's public meetings on redistricting in October. The group -- whose members come from all over the political spectrum -- will also draw its own map.
Redistricting is the once-a-decade process of redrawing congressional and legislative district boundaries to even out population shifts.
The courts are expected to draw Minnesota's new map after Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed the Republican Legislature's proposal in May. Lawsuits over redistricting are pending in state and federal court.
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