Correction: The redrawn maps impact more than 18,000 residents, who will now live in a different district. An earlier version of this story said more than 18,000 voters.
The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners adopted new district boundaries for electing county commissioners to keep in line with a state law that requires compact districts with as equal populations as possible.
On Thursday, commissioners ended nearly five months of meetings and public outreach with a 5-2 vote to adopt new district lines that have a relatively low deviation in population. Still, the districts may need to be updated again in five to eight years as the county’s population shifts.
The maps were drawn with the help of Washington, D.C.-based consultant HaystaqDNA.
Slices of territory shifted among districts
The newly approved map’s most noticeable changes shift a slice of territory south of West 75th Street from District 4 (currently represented by Janeé Hanzlick) to District 1 (represented by Becky Fast).
Another strip south of West 119th Street will move from District 3 (represented by Julie Brewer) to District 4 (currently Hanzlick’s district).
A smaller bit in District 6 (represented by Shirley Allenbrand) will become part of District 5 (represented by Michael Ashcraft).
The county commission is required to review the districts every three years.
If the population deviation between districts exceeds 10%, new lines must be drawn. At the last review in 2023, it became clear that redistricting would need to be done in the next non-election year, 2025.
Commissioners asked the consultant to prioritize keeping the number of residents who would be moved into different voting districts low and keeping cities as undivided as possible.
18,000+ JoCo residents moved to new district
Among the three maps commissioners seriously considered, the map approved had the lowest deviation between districts at 4.39%.
In total, 18,565 residents will be moved to a new district.
The new map is expected to last five to eight years before more redistricting will be needed.
Among the other maps, Map 2 had a deviation of 6.45%, with 12,839 people changing districts and an estimated 8-10 year lifespan.
The third map had a 5.21% deviation, 33,731 residents moved to new districts and an 8-10 year life.
Commissioners approved the new map with less than five minutes of discussion.
Allenbrand said she preferred the second map. She and Brewer cast the dissenting votes.
