The Colorado Supreme Court has ordered the newly drawn state House and Senate district maps be redone to reflect more county boundaries, according to the
Denver Post. The six-member panel appeared to side Tuesday with Republicans, who argued the new map was unconstitutional because it split too many counties, making it more difficult for GOP candidates to compete against Democrats.
“The state Supreme Court’s decision validates what Colorado Republicans have been arguing all along — that the reapportionment commission must first look to keeping counties boundaries whole before looking to non-constitutional criteria in drawing district boundaries,” Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call said.
“Respecting county boundaries and communities of interest leads to more effective representation as legislators will better reflect the perspectives and needs of the communities they are chosen to represent,” he said.
The decision came as a blow to Democrats. But Mario Carrera, the independent chairman of the reapportionment commission, told the Post he was particularly disappointed because he had worked in a bipartisan way to create as many competitive districts as possible.
“I’m proud of what the commission was able to accomplish with an 8-3 vote on the House map and a 9-2 vote on the Senate map,” Carrera said. “I would like to encourage and see that we continue on that bipartisan plane.”
The court ordered that the maps be redrawn and submitted by Dec. 6. Carrera said he hopes to have them ready by Nov. 23 and finalized a week after Thanksgiving.
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