Press
For press inquiries, please email colorado.redistricting2020@state.co.us or call Julia Jackson, Public Information Officer, at 303-866-4788.
Press releases:
February 2, 2021
Press releases:
February 2, 2021
Selection of First Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commissioners
The first six members of the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission were selected yesterday. They are:
Two Democrats:
Paula Espinoza, a resident of Roxborough Park, in the 4th Congressional District
Elizabeth Wilkes, a resident of Colorado Springs, in the 5th Congressional District
Two Republicans:
Danny D. Moore, a resident of Centennial, in the 6th Congressional District
William J. Leone, a resident of Westminster, in the 7th Congressional District
Two Unaffiliated:
Jolie C. Brawner, a resident of Denver, in the 1st Congressional District
Lori Smith Schell, a resident of Durango, in the 3rd Congressional District
Staff will post bios and photos on the commissions’ website as they are available. The remaining six members of the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission will be selected by March 1, 2021. The commission must have at least one member, and not more than two members, from each of Colorado’s seven congressional districts.
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January 29, 2021
Selection of First Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissioners
Selection of First Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissioners
The first six commissioners on the Colorado Independent Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Commissions will be selected in February.
Congressional commissioners will be selected Monday, February 1, 2021, at 2:00 PM.
The panel of retired judges – Hon. Daniel Taubman, Hon. Robert Hawthorne, and Hon. Alan Loeb – will meet remotely to announce their selections of 50 Democratic, 50 Republican, and 50 unaffiliated applicants. They will then randomly select two applicants from each pool to serve on the commission. The meeting will be available to watch or listen to online. Public viewing will also be available in the Old State Library (room 271) at the Colorado State Capitol Building.
Legislative commissioners will be selected Friday, February 12, 2021, at 2:00 PM.
The panel of retired judges – Hon. Karen Ashby, Hon. Dennis Graham, and Hon. Gale Miller – will meet remotely to announce their selections of 50 Democratic, 50 Republican, and 50 unaffiliated applicants. They will then randomly select two applicants from each pool to serve on the commission. The meeting will be available to watch or listen to online. Public viewing will also be available in the Old State Library (room 271) at the Colorado State Capitol Building.
Both panels have approved the following procedures for their random drawings:
At their meeting, the judges on the panel will identify the names of 50 Democrats, 50 Republicans, and 50 unaffiliated applicants from which the first six commissioners will be chosen by lot. Once directed to do so by the panel, redistricting staff will place a link on the redistricting website to the lists of names. The names will also be displayed on the screen for those attending the meeting virtually or in person. The names on the list will be numbered 1-50 (unaffiliated), 51-100 (Democrats), and 101-150 (Republicans). Bingo balls with corresponding numbers will be placed in three revolving Bingo drums.
Each selection panel will choose commissioners by lot from the pools (unaffiliated, Democratic, and Republican) in the same order the pools are listed in the state constitution. At the direction of the panel, staff will proceed as follows:
- Draw one ball from the unaffiliated drum—that will be the number of the first commissioner.
- Draw one ball from the Democratic drum—if that number is not from the same Congressional district as the previously chosen individual, it will be the number of the second commissioner. If the drawn number represents the same Congressional district as the previously chosen commissioner, it will be set aside and balls will continue to be drawn until a candidate who represents a new Congressional district is chosen.
- Draw one ball from the Republican drum—follow the procedure listed above until a Republican commissioner is chosen who represents an unchosen Congressional district.
- Continue to follow the same process, starting again with the unaffiliated drum, until six commissioners are selected who represent six different Congressional districts.
The two judicial panels will also select the final six commissioners for each commission, by March 1, 2021, for the congressional commission, and by March 16, 2021, for the legislative commission. For each commission, two lists of ten Democrats will be submitted by the Majority Leaders of the State Senate and State House of Representatives. Two lists of ten Republicans will be submitted by the Minority Leaders of the State Senate and State House of Representatives. From each of these lists, the judges will select one commissioner. The judges for each commission will also select two unaffiliated commissioners from the original pool of applicants.
Each commission must include at least one member residing in each current congressional district and at least one member from the Western Slope and must, to the extent possible, reflect Colorado's racial, ethnic, gender, and geographic diversity. More information about the commissioner selection process is available here: https://redistricting.colorado.gov/content/commissioner-selection-process
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January 8, 2021
Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission Applicant Narrowing Meeting
On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, the applicant pools for the Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission will be narrowed by random selection. The narrowing meeting will take place at 10:00 AM. The judicial panel conducting the random selection will meet virtually with live audio available through the General Assembly’s website or video access via Webex. Public viewing of the meeting will also be available in the Old Supreme Court Chambers at the Colorado State Capitol Building. Anyone attending in person must wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines. The names of those selected will be posted on the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissions’ website following the meeting, and all applicants will be notified of their status in the process.
As previously noted, the narrowing meeting for the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission will be held Friday, January 8, 2021, at 10:00 AM. Audio, video, and public viewing in the Old State Library (room 271) are all available for this meeting as well.
The Colorado Constitution requires two judicial panels, appointed by former Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan B. Coats, to randomly select 300 Democrats, 300 Republicans, and 450 unaffiliated voters to establish a selection pool of 1,050 people for each redistricting commission. However, random selection will only occur to narrow the two Democratic applicant pools and the Republican Congressional applicant pool, since the other pools already have fewer qualified applicants than is required by the constitution. Table 1 (updated January 7) shows the total number of applicants for each pool, after staff vetting of applicants’ voter registration and voting history with the Colorado Secretary of State.
Twenty-two percent of the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission applicants and nineteen percent of the Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission applicants were found to be ineligible or had incomplete applications that they did not correct prior to January 7, 2021.
More information about the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissions selection process can be found here: Congressional - https://redistricting.colorado.gov/content/congressional-redistricting and Legislative - https://redistricting.colorado.gov/content/legislative-redistricting.
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January 6, 2021
Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission Applicant Narrowing Meeting
On Friday, January 8, 2021, the applicant pools for the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission will be narrowed by random selection. The narrowing meeting will take place at 10:00 AM. The judicial panel conducting the random selection will meet virtually with live audio available through the General Assembly’s website. Public viewing of the meeting will also be available in the Old State Library (room 271) at the Colorado State Capitol Building. Anyone attending in person must wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines. The names of those selected will be posted on the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissions’ website following the meeting, and all applicants will be notified of their status in the process.
The narrowing meeting for the Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission has not yet been scheduled and will be announced separately.
The Colorado Constitution requires two judicial panels, appointed by former Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan B. Coats, to randomly select 300 Democrats, 300 Republicans, and 450 unaffiliated voters to establish a selection pool of 1,050 people for each redistricting commission. However, random selection will only occur to narrow the two Democratic applicant pools and the Republican Congressional applicant pool, since the other pools already have fewer qualified applicants than is required by the constitution. Table 1 shows the total number of applicants for each pool, after staff vetting of applicants’ voter registration and voting history with the Colorado Secretary of State.
Twenty-two percent of the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission applicants and nineteen percent of the Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission applicants were found to be ineligible or had incomplete applications that they did not correct prior to January 5, 2021.
More information about the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission selection process can be found here: https://redistricting.colorado.gov/content/congressional-redistricting
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November 5, 2020
Independent redistricting commissions making final push for applications.
Applications for Colorado’s first Independent Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Commissions close on November 10, 2020.
As of November 2, the Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission has received 349 applications, and the Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission has received 234 applications. An overview document with demographic information about these applicants is attached, and posted on the commissions’ website. Full listings of applicants for each commission are also available on the website at https://redistricting.colorado.gov/congressional_applicants/ and https://redistricting.colorado.gov/legislative_applicants/
The Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissions were created by Amendments Y and Z in 2018. The amendments anticipated at least 1,050 applicants for each commission, divided somewhat evenly among Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters. Detailed information about the selection process is available on the commissions’ website under “Commissions.”
The 12 members of each commission will be selected from their respective applicant pools by a combination of random draw and review by retired judges and legislative leadership, after vetting by nonpartisan staff to ensure minimum qualifications are met. This process will begin in January 2021, with the full congressional commission selected by March 1, 2021, and the full legislative commission selected by March 16, 2021.
Anyone interested in the redistricting process may sign up for our mailing list via a subscription link on the website. Follow commission staff on Twitter @CORedistricting
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September 25, 2020
Independent redistricting commissions continue to seek applications.
September 25, 2020, marks the halfway point in the application period for Colorado’s first Independent Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Commissions. The applications opened on August 10, and will close on November 10, 2020.
As of September 22, the Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission has received 183 applications, and the Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission has received 109 applications. An overview document for each commission with demographic information about these applicants is attached, and posted on the commissions’ website. Full listings of applicants for each commission are also available on the website at https://redistricting.colorado.gov/congressional_applicants/ and https://redistricting.colorado.gov/legislative_applicants/
The 12 members of each commission will be selected from their respective applicant pools by a combination of random draw and review by retired judges and legislative leadership, after vetting by nonpartisan staff to ensure minimum qualifications are met. This process will begin in January 2021, with the full congressional commission selected by March 1, 2021, and the full legislative commission selected by March 16, 2021.
Anyone interested in the redistricting process can sign up for our mailing list via a subscription link at the bottom of the website. Follow commission staff on Twitter @CORedistricting
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July 24, 2020
Redistricting in Colorado starts soon!
Applications for Colorado’s first Independent Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Commissions will be open beginning August 10, 2020.
We have launched a new website for all things Colorado redistricting: https://redistricting.colorado.gov/ Sign up for our mailing list for future updates.
Commission staff will also be tweeting @CORedistricting
We are currently soliciting comments about the redistricting commission applications. The draft applications can be viewed at the above website, and there is also a link to provide written comments. Written comments will be accepted through August 5, 2020. Those wishing to testify in person about the applications may do so at a public meeting with commission staff:
Friday, July 31
Friday, July 31
10:00 a.m.
Old State Library, Colorado State Capitol
Social distancing practices at the Capitol will be followed for this hearing, and we encourage anyone wishing to testify to sign up in advance on our website.
Commission staff is also seeking partner organizations to promote the commission applications and encourage participation from diverse communities. Please email colorado.redistricting2020@state.co.us if your organization is interested in partnering with us.