Election Commission to review new JP district lines

Census data results in reclassification of county, loss of quorum court seats

By Ralph Hardin

ralphhardin@ gmail. com The Election Commission of Crittenden County will have a meeting this Thursday, Dec. 2.

No, there’s no election coming up, at least not for a few months. The purpose of the meeting will be to review a proposed map of the new Quorum Court districts.

The 2020 Census results were released earlier this year, and as always, the new data means a new map for everything from federal congressional districts down to local municipal wards and school district zones.

The census data for the county and local cities was a mixed bag, with some cities losing population and a few showing growth over the last 10 years.

Overall, Crittenden County’s population decreased by 2,739, down to 48,163. The lower population means changes for local government. Federal and state money turnback rates and, per the reson for the meeting this Thursday, the number of elected representatives on the Crittenden County Quorum Court and the lareas each Justice of the Peace will represent after the 2022 elections.

Back in August, County Judge Woody Wheeless said the decrease in population meant the county would be reclassified.

“We’ll be a level four county and lose two JP districts,” said Wheeless.

County Election Commission Chairman Frank Barton further explained the statutes regarding the need to redistrict due to the lower census.

“Since the county’s popultion is now below 50,000 people, Arkansas statutes require that the county be divided into 11 JP districts from the current number of 13,” said Barton. “It is the responsibility of the

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Election Commissioner Frank Barton 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.