Minnesota Voters Propose Fair Congressional, State Legislative Maps for Court’s Consideration
Contact
Brooke Lillard • Lillard@redistrictingaction.org
Washington, D.C. — In a submission today to a special redistricting panel in state court, Minnesota voters supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund (NRAF) filed motions to adopt congressional and state legislative plans as part of the ongoing impasse lawsuit, Sachs v. Simon, which establishes that Minnesota’s congressional and state legislative districts are unconstitutionally malapportioned and do not accurately reflect the 2020 Census data, and, therefore, cannot be used in any future election.
The Sachs plaintiffs filed their complaint on April 26, 2021, based on the status of congressional and legislative districts, and the reasonable likelihood that the Minnesota Legislature and governor would fail to enact lawful map plans in time for the 2022 elections. In June, the Minnesota Supreme Court appointed a special redistricting panel to adjudicate Sachs v. Simon and other similar challenges. Since then, the panel has held nine public hearings to gather input directly from Minnesotans. Based on that input, as well as legal arguments from the Sachs plaintiffs and others, the panel established a set of principles to govern any redistricting plan that it will ultimately adopt.
“The congressional and legislative plans proposed by the Sachs plaintiffs reflect the panel’s principles, including preserving communities of people with shared interests, and would fairly reflect the will of the people,” said Marina Jenkins, Director of Litigation and Policy for the NRAF. “Minnesotans want fair maps, and these plans present commonsense solutions that accurately reflect the political preferences of the state.”
The proposed congressional plan is available here, and the supporting brief can be found here. The proposed state legislative plan is available here, and the supporting brief can be found here.
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About NRAF
The National Redistricting Action Fund (NRAF) is the 501(c)(4) affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. The mission of the NRAF is to harness the power of people and the courts to dismantle unfair electoral maps and create a redistricting system based on democratic values. By helping to create more just and representative electoral districts across the country, we also hope to restore the public’s faith in a true representative democracy.
