Refresher: The U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 2, requires a Census count every ten years. The number of U.S. House of Representatives seats is fixed by law at 435 by the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929. Some states will gain. Others will lose. Every state gets at least one.

Drawing district lines is the supreme test.

There are rules. Guidance under the Constitution and State law (ORS 188.010) require that each district:

• be contiguous;
• use existing geographic or political boundaries;
• be of equal population;
• not divide communities of common interest; and
• be connected by transportation links.

Do all this, the law says, without drawing lines in favor any political party, incumbent legislator, or other person; or by diluting the voting strength of any language or ethnic minority group.

With the release to the public of 2020 Census data, state Congressional and Legislative boundaries need work. Oregon’s nearly 10.6 percent population increase – a growth of more than 400,000 over the 2010 Census -- ups its seat count in the U.S. House of Representatives from the current five to six. Each Congressional District will have about 706,200. The challenge is repackaging those numbers into six new districts.

Meanwhile, the number of State House and Senate seats remains the same at, respectively, 60 and 30. With the average head count for an Oregon House Seat at 70,621, based on the new Census numbers, some district geographic footprints will shrink because of increased density, while other geographic boundaries will expand to find enough head count. As State Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Dist.33) recently explained to her constituents, her district boundaries need redrawing because it grew nearly 11,000 constituents over “the new average of 70,621 constituents.”

The U.S. Census Bureau released its 2020 population data August 12, 2021, detailing highlighting local population changes and the country’s racial and ethnic diversity. To help the ambitious and the curious, the Oregon Legislature has provided a detailed look at Oregon’s redistricting steps and activities.

That’s where constituents can connect to redistricting software and put their own ideas to work. Scroll down to the Redistricting Software Information heading for access the software application, a checklist for submitting a map, and for short videos explaining use of the application and submission.

The range of steps and activities include public hearings. The surge in COVID cases moved those from in-person to virtual. The first opportunity covers residents of Congressional Districts 1, 2 and 3 at 8 a.m., Thursday, September 8. A complete schedule of dates and times is listed under Actions and Events at the top of the AFT-Oregon Retirees web page.