Minneapolis Redistricting and the Power of the Charter Commission

John is joined by redistricting enthusiast Josh Martin for a conversation about redrawing political boundaries in Minneapolis. It's a process that happens every ten years, and it's already underway for City Council and Park Board. Based on data from the 2020 census, the ideal City Council ward should have a population of 33,073.38. The city's most populous ward -- Ward 3 -- currently has a population over 43,000. As the map drawing process kicks off, this is creating ripple effects across the city, as boundaries for less populated wards shift to take on additional population. We talk about the guidelines being used by the Commission's redistricting advisory group, which is made up of commissioners (appointed by a Hennepin County judge) and residents (appointed by the Commission). We also talk about some of the specific changes and concerns that have come up early in the process. Such as, Is it appropriate to consider a council member's home address during the map drawing process? Is Ward 6 at risk of losing its status as the Somali ward? Why did someone submit a map that divided the Wedge neighborhood into three different wards? Will Ward 4 gain an Aldi? We get into some of the arguments for and against downtown Minneapolis having its own ward -- rather than divided between three council members. John makes a pitch for everyone within the sound of his voice to apply to be on the Charter Commission. Not only does the Commission draw our political boundaries, they have the power to put charter amendments on the ballot (they unanimously put the strong mayor charter amendment on the ballot, in a city where voters approved it by just a single percentage point). We close the show by talking about another idea with some interesting implications working its way through the Charter Commission: moving city elections from odd to even years.

Links

Existing City Council boundaries: https://districtr.org/plan/80467
First draft of a redrawn City Council map: https://districtr.org/plan/80467
First draft of a redrawn Park Board map: https://districtr.org/plan/71683
Find more information about the process and submit comments and maps to the Charter Commission: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/boards-and-commissions/charter-commission/
Sign up to speak at a future redistricting public hearing (select "commission"). The next one is in December. This list will be updated as hearings are scheduled: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/redistricting/
Whenever you see openings (there's a bunch coming in 2022), please apply to be on the Minneapolis Charter Commission: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/boards-and-commissions/charter-commission/
Follow twitter.com/JoshMartinMpls for more information about redistricting and other city happenings.
A photo of the Portland Charter Commission: https://www.portland.gov/omf/charter-review-commission

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