ELECTION COMMISSION (cont.)

County Election Commission to redraw these quorum court boundaries.

Redistricting is a monthslong process that happens at the federal, state, county and local level.

'You have to draw congressional districts first,' said JP Vicki Robertson 'Then you draw state and house and senate seats. Then it drops down to your JP and city council seats… All the counties in the Delta lost population so the first congressional district is going to get bigger to pick up people it lost.'

County officials lamented the dip the county saw below the magic number of 50,000.

“That dropping below the 50,000 population, that's going to have an impact on our county. It's going to impact our JP districts,” Robertson said. We would lose two districts. It effects our turnback money.

That…is going to have a big impact.'

The duty to redraw district lines falls to the election commission. The county election commission 1s controlled by a Republican majority to align with the majority in the seven constitutional state office .(in fact , all those state offices are currently held by Republicans). The members of the county election commission are: Republicans Frank Barton (chairman) and Dixie Carlson and lone Democrat Carolyn Anthony.

Whether the population of Crittenden County actually did drop below 50,000 was a point of contention among some officials.

'That's why it was so important to get everyone to respond to the census,' said Wheeless.

Robertson said the delay in the federal finalization of the census put redistricting before up coming elections on a short timeline.

Robertson considered the COVID 19 factor.

'It's unfortunate that the census came at the same time as the pandemic,' said Robertson.

Commissioner Barton gave the timeline of the process.

'The state board of apportionment starts officially in September,' said Barton. lawmakers spent weeks drawing and redrawing the new lines for Arkansas’ four congressional districts, while the Board of Apportionment fulfilled the task of coming up with a new map for the state’s 100 House of Representative and 35 State Senate districts.

At the local level, additionally, the Commission will review new district maps from the Marion School District and the West Memphis School District.

The meeting on Thursday will be held in the quorum court chambers at the Crittenden County Courthouse, beginning at 1 p.m. All Commission meetings are open to the public.