Public Comments

As a resident of Pueblo County, I like the Schuster map, although I do not see much difference, if any, between it and the "First Staff Map." As I said in my previous comments, the First Staff Map (and now the Schuster Map) reflect a geographic and ethnic commonality along the southern I-25 corridor and the Highway 50 West corridor. We in this region share agricultural and economic interests; we connect via widely used and familiar transportation routes; and we are home to a larger Latino and Native American heritage than was ever reflected in the last iteration of the Congressional District 3 map, which lumped Pueblo, Durango, and the San Luis Valley into a bizarre geographical relationship with Rio Blanco and Routt Counties in the far north and northwest parts of our state. We in Pueblo have little in common with the residents of, say, Craig (or Meeker or Rangely). My bottom line: I like and approve of the Schuster Map (and/or the First Staff Map) as it finally puts our Southern and Southwestern parts of Colorado into a region of shared identity and creates what appears to be a more balanced political district. -Philip Pierce Pueblo CO 81004

The Schuster map makes more sense to me. It keeps areas of common interest together like the Roaring Fork valley and the San Luis valley. Thanks

Folks, it is critical that the southern counties be included as one Congressional District (3rd CD). I've looked all of the potential maps to date and strongly support the SHUSTER MAP.

Please consider the Schuster map. The Schuster Map keeps Southwest Colorado together, keeps the Roaring Fork Valley together, and keeps the San Luis Valley together with Pueblo and Pueblo's agricultural region. It keeps more communities of interest whole than the Second Staff Map. - The Schuster Map keeps Mesa County whole with its major economic and extractive industries neighbor of Garfield County to the north. - The Schuster Map is the most competitive map still on the commission's docket, creating three competitive districts. Southern Colorado is so diverse in our politics between communities but so interdependent in our economies and future. Rural agricultural communities need mountain town markets and jobs. Competitive districts are needed for our region to create solutions and work together.

I am writing in support of the Shuster map. There are many reasons this map is preferable to the first staff maps from my perspective as a west slope resident . Among them: The Schuster Map not only makes a Southern Colorado district with Latino and Native heritage possible, it creates three competitive districts in the process - more competitive than the Second Staff Map. The Schuster map uses two districts for Western Colorado that much more compactly reflect communities of interest on the ground. The Schuster Map keeps Southwest Colorado together, keeps the Roaring Fork Valley together, and keeps the San Luis Valley together with Pueblo and Pueblo's agricultural region. It keeps more communities of interest whole than the Second Staff Map. The Schuster Map is the most competitive map still on the commission's docket, creating three competitive districts. Southern Colorado is so diverse in our politics between communities but so interdependent in our economies and future. Rural agricultural communities need mountain town markets and jobs. Competitive districts are needed for our region to create solutions and work together.

I am in favor of the Schuster map, as it creates competitive districts and districts that reflect similar economic and cultural values. Please don’t lump Las Animas County with the entire western slope! We are much more alike with the southern portion of the state together.

I live in Teller County and while I do not understand a lot of the issues with redistricting. I do know that it is NOT done in a way to best benefit the counties' and their constituents. And, I have a serious problem with that. Based on the below findings of even second round of maps, I am still amazed to see the outright disparity and clear shift into districts being lopped into areas where there is NO TRUE REPRESENTATION FOR THEM as the concerns and needs do not come together. Teller County is a Southern Colorado county that is also a mountainous rural county. The Denver metro area, under the current map, has undue influences on what happens in our county relative to our way of living and being in this county if it is left to stand because there are a great many constituents without representation based on their needs and concerns in this redistricting. *Our federal public land use, land use, mining and the extraction industries connects us more to the counties of the Western slope and Southern region. *We share communities of interests with El Paso County for employment. *Our county shares communities of interests with Fremont and El Paso Counties for commerce. *Highway 24 connects us to multiple Western-slope counties with similar landscapes. *Geographically, the Palmer Divide separates Teller County into the rural, mountainous Southern region. *Our county's wildlife management shares communities of interests with the Western slopes and Southern mountainous regions. Overall, we need fair maps that preserve rural voices because we have different needs and challenges that the urban Denver communities do not share and basically have zero interests in. And that leaves us uncovered basically. It is my honest hope that this is intended to be fair and based on TRUE CONCERNS AND NEEDS of the constituents in each county. I am not clear as to how you could have come up with these maps as there seems to have been NO thought as to what it would mean to the people living in any of the counties as you moved them around. I appreciate your honest and fair redistricting changes that lead to the betterment of each county. Sincerely, Melva J. Harris

After population equality and adherence to the Voting Rights Act the Colorado Constitution in Article 5, Section 44.3 directs the Commissions as follows, "As much as is reasonably possible, the commission's plan must preserve whole communities of interest and whole political subdivisions, such as counties, cities, and towns." It would be impractical for the smallest county in the state to have to work with two different congressional offices.

My name is Carol Cure and I am a registered voter in CD3 in La Plata County. I have just had an opportunity to review the Schuster Map, which the commission discussed at length yesterday. I strongly urge the Commission to adopt this map over the unacceptable Second Staff Map, which fails to comply with the Colorado Constitution’s mandates, particularly as to compactness, political competitiveness, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I submitted a lengthy comment yesterday detailing the many reasons why the Second Staff Map is so problematic. Frankly, it appears almost gerrymandered to produce an endlessly “safe” Republican district in CD3 and a forever “safe’ Democratic district in CD2, completely ignoring much of Southwest Colorado’s longstanding history with our neighbors in Southern Colorado counties and dumping us in, instead, with Mesa County (Grand Junction), Rio Blanco (Meeker, Rangely), Garfield (Rifle, Glenwood Springs), Moffat (Craig, Dinosaur), with which we have very little in common. All these counties have significant oil and gas economies, very unlike Southern Colorado’s more diverse economies and they are all majority White, Non-Hispanic populations, diluting the minority vote. While compactness and political competitiveness may not be at the very TOP of the list of factors to be considered, this does not mean that they can be completely ignored as they have been in Staff Map 2. My comment yesterday specifically explains why these are critical components of the Constitution’s criteria, and why the mega-district proposed as CD3 by the Second Staff Map would be so unfair to any CD3 representative and to their constituents. The Schuster Map makes much more sense than creating a giant CD3 district with a Republican edge of 9.7%, far above what is considered competitive. At the same time, Staff Map 2 creates a CD2 district with a Democratic edge of over 33%. Neither are competitive and certainly would not have “a reasonable potential for the party affiliation of the district’s representative to change at least once over the next decade.” As I said yesterday, competitive elections should provide voters with a meaningful choice among candidates and the Second Staff Map fails this goal miserably. On the other hand, the Schuster Map creates a CD3 district that leans 1.4% Republican and a CD2 district that leans 1.5% Democratic, both being highly competitive and meeting the goals set by the Constitution. The Schuster Map also better complies with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It envisions a Southern Colorado district where Hispanic and Native American heritage are respected, specifically by bringing almost 7,000 more Latino voters from Prowers, Bent and Baca Counties into a Southern Colorado CD3 district, better keeping historical Hispanic communities intact. It also keeps tribal lands in the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes together in order not to dilute or minimize minority votes. The Schuster Map recognizes two distinct Western Slope districts that are each much more compact, politically competitive, and better reflect each area’s communities of interest and economic drivers. It keeps Southwest Colorado together, and keeps the San Luis Valley and Pueblo together in one agricultural region. It keeps many more communities of interest whole than the Second Staff Map, and it minimizes county splits, keeping every county in its proposed CD3 whole except a tiny portion of Garfield County in its southeast corner. It also provide the Western Slope with two distinct congressional districts, where each district’s votes will support its unique interests, coincidentally doubling the impact of those votes where they may have a common goal. The Schuster Map is the best solution to all the comments I have seen thus far, and certainly the best one still being considered by the Commission. Southern Colorado does not belong in a district with Northwest Colorado, which has completely different community interests, economies, and Federal concerns. For Southwestern Colorado to thrive, we need a district that is much smaller and more compact, more politically competitive, and one that respects the minority populations within our area.

I am writing to once again support a redistricting plan that creates a southern Colorado Congressional district comprised of communities of interest related to water, military veteran and mental health issues. The commission was presented with a map that created a district comprised of the southern 1/3 of the state from western to eastern state borders and I testified at CSU-Pueblo in support of that map and my support has not waned. I understand that the map I supported at CSU may not now be under consideration but that the "Schuster" map that does create a largely southern Colorado congressional district is being considered. I would, as a compromise, (a historically fundamental part of democracy) urge you to adopt the Schuster map. This proposed district would comprise communities of interest and satisfy both compact and competitive considerations crucial to establishing a fair and representative district. As I testified earlier this Summer, your charge is not to be partisan or motivated by considerations other than the Colorado Constitution and the Voting Rights Act. Your job is serve, and preserve, our representative democracy. Your charge is to right the wrong that has been a congressional district that has never provided adequate representation of the unique and diverse area of southern Colorado that nevertheless shares common interests and goals. I urge you to finally give voice to southern Colorado; to serve democracy and democratic principles that separate the United States from all other nations of the world. I thank you for your service to the citizens of the centennial state and look forward to a celebration of a commission decision that we can all be proud of. Bill Martinez