JUNEAU, ALASKA
“One of (our) first actions was to formally state our intentions of drafting a plan that included nine Alaska Native-influenced districts.”
Torgerson says it was done to comply with the Voting Rights Act’s requirements to avoid retrogression.
“Retrogression is drawing a district or a redistricting plan in manner that worsens minority voting strength as compared to the last plan that we are under,” says Torgerson.
The panel has split up into two-person teams to take public comments in several rural communities simultaneously. They traveled to Delta Junction, Nome, Unalaska, Kotzebue, Tok, and Cold Bay earlier this week. Then, they went to Bethel and Glenallen on Wednesday, and Galena and Barrow on Thursday.
Members of the Alaska Redistricting Board hear from Sitka residents Friday. Then it will be Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Haines, Skagway, Angoon, and Hoonah residents this weekend and next week. A statewide teleconference is planned for all-day on May 6th.
Then the board will work on a final map redrawing legislative boundaries. They have until June 13th to finish it.
The Redistricting Board will hear from…
– Sitka residents from 1 to 3pm Friday (April 29th) at Centennial Hall
More information and suggested maps can be found on their website at www.akredistricting.org
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