Public Comments

I have an additional map for your consideration. This map incorporates multitudinous feedback from public hearings and comments. While several counties are split, some of them multiple times, they are done so according to the identified communities of interest people spoke of during public hearings. Greeley, for example, is with several communities that were identified by residents of Greeley as sharing common interests, schools, etc. while the more rural areas of Weld County are, as request by numerous residents of the rural areas of Weld County, kept with more rural areas. Rural people from all over have complained multiple times about the "rural voice being diluted". This map seeks to keep much of the rural outer areas of the state together. As was heard during multiple testimonies to the commissions, these areas frequently share common values, and so there is a district that is heavily rural, encompassing much of the western slope, northern, and eastern plains. This district is very large geographically due to the sparsely populated areas it must cover to reach the population numbers required for a district. This is accomplished while maintaining a Southern District, which encompasses the Ute Mountain Nation in the Southwest portion of the state, and keeps them with the San Luis Valley and Pueblo, as was requested by the only Ute Nation member to speak to the commission. Additionally, the communities of interest shared between the San Luis Valley, Pueblo, and Southern and Western Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security, and Widefield are kept together as well, following several river basins as well as the Arkansas River Valley. This keeps the Southern district a true Southern district as it stretches across the Southern portion of the state while remaining relatively compact. Taking a page from multiple County Clerks and Recorders, including El Paso County's own Chuck Broerman, some split decisions were made to ensure voices and interests could be fairly represented, while also ensuring our state is given a voice in matters that are of significant importance to Coloradans. One example are the numerous military installations around the Colorado Springs area. Having multiple Congressional districts with multiple military installations, as this map contains, ensures that we will be sending multiple Congressional representatives to DC who have a vested interest in looking after their military and veteran populations, as well as giving a high likelihood of Colorado having multiple seats on the Military and Veteran Affairs Committee. This map also splits the large population center of Denver, while keeping neighborhoods intact as was requested by numerous people who spoke to the Commission. This map also considers significant communities of interest with shared languages, cultures, values, histories, and more. Some of these communities will for the first time have the opportunity to have a significant voice in the choice of who represents them. Map M5: https://davesredistricting.org/join/0a85e67b-e93f-4783-aed6-249ddd529737 Thank you for consideration. Misty

2nd Map: Definitely better than the first. Pull the area of Littleton that is actually in Jefferson County, into District 7 and then shift the border of District 1 further into Aurora into District 6. Overall, better on the lines for District 2 and 3. Good Job.

My family and I are residents of Highlands Ranch and have been in the district of Jason Crow. We do NOT agree with the newest proposed map for our Congressional district. Highlands Ranch is a suburban community and does not have the concerns or interests of the eastern plains or agricultural areas. We belong with Denver area residents and NOT with Ken Buck and the outlying eastern counties.

The second version of the Colorado redistricting proposal released on September 15 is in opposition to the commission's charter by ignoring geography, economics and history by removing Loveland as the largest part of Larimer County to be part of the Congressional District 4. A primary criterion for drawing district is to “Preserve whole communities of interest….” Loveland is culturally, socially and economically tied to the interests of Larimer County, Fort Collins, Longmont, and Boulder. Loveland’s burgeoning tech sector and long-time status as a tourist center connect it to its neighbors. Many Lovelanders work and learn at the large universities nearby, creating durable ties. Rural counties where ranching, agriculture and oil predominate don’t have the same interests at heart as Loveland. It seems the commission reacted to feedback from their September 3 proposal. Western Slope communities objected that they had little in common with the northern Front Range. That’s just as true about them to the Front Range as it is to Loveland and eastern and southeastern Colorado. Please add Loveland back into the same district as Fort Collins, Longmont and Boulder to maintain the integrity of redistricting with communities of similar interest.

Broomfield city and county is the smallest county in CO in size and does not deserve to be split up. It is also probably the newest county in the state and needs time to develop it's character. It is just now building a downtown area which would be lessened by a split of the city. It's shape is long and skinney and a split would encourage citizens to relate more with other towns than itself. Towns to the west, north and south have much less similarities than the towns to the west in Boulder county. Broomfield's position is at an interchange of 3 to 4 districts on the maps but would have a closer alliance to District 2 in Boulder County. I have lived in Broomfield for almost 13 years and have not heard or visited most of the towns in District 6 . I do like Perlmutter as the representative so the split and the lack of similarity is my reason for not liking the map.

As long time residents of 40+ years in Colorado and currently residents of Florissant in Teller County, we have more personal, public,, community and industrial interests with the Western slope and the Southern region of Colorado than the rest of the state. Our county share communities of interests for commerce with Fremont and El Paso counties . Our federal public lands, lands use, ranching, mining and the extraction industries connects us more with the counties of the Western slope and Southern region. The Palmer Divide geographically separates Teller County into the rural mountainous Southern region from the northern populous one. Our counties wildlife management also shares more communities of interest with the Western slopes and Southern mountainous regions. Highway 24 connects us to multiple Western-slope counties with similar interests, communities and landscapes. 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 Congressional elections if it is left to stand. The Preliminary map released June 23,2021 is the more realistic and appropriate redistricting map for our county in our determination and desires. Respectfully; Leon and Gloria Odendahl c

Thank you for making changes to the map to keep Louisville and Lafayette and Erie in one house district. This makes sense. we are a community with shared values around the environment, affordable housing, transportation and oil and gas. We are grateful for this change. Annmarie Jensen

Please do not split up Boulder County in any way. Thank you, Terry Duke

I believe that lovelands interests arw more closely aligned with ft collins vs our western districts. I also believe that loveland is in a for more progressive district than what this new area will allow

Hello - I strongly oppose including Teller county into Jefferson county as proposed by redistricting. The morals, values and approach to government alignment across the two counties are strikingly different. It is critically important that individual counties and the residents within are allowed to remain independent from Jefferson country, which again, has a very different philosophy of individual rights and points of view of governmental oversight. Again, I strongly oppose Teller counties alignment, via redistricting, with Jefferson county.