Public Comments

Agriculture and rural Colorado are a community of interest in this state. Agriculture is the second largest industry in our state and deserves a voice in our congressional and legislative maps. Please start again and use the preliminary maps that were used at the beginning of this process.

Agriculture and rural Colorado are a community of interest that should be valued and considered in these maps. The map that you provided does not give that community of interest a voice. Please scrap the map and start again with the preliminary maps that were proposed at the beginning of this process.

Agriculture and rural Colorado are a community of interest and need to be treated as a priority to keep their voice strong. Please get rid of the proposed maps and look back at the preliminary maps. Those preliminary maps give voice to rural Colorado and agriculture in a more equitable way.

I am not happy with the Senate map the staff drew Sept. 13. Pueblo County has always been split in two parts. That gave us the opportunity to have 2 votes. The Sept. 13 map puts the entire county into 1 senate district. That deletes our voting power in half. Looking at the map, it appears many county’s are just one vote counties. Larger counties have multiple votes. Doesn’t seem quite fair. Please give Pueblo county 2 votes.

I am not in favor of splitting the Western Slope and adding part into a district with Boulder and Larimer counties where they do not share any common interests. We need to keep the Western Slope whole in order to keep those with common interests in their communities in the same district. My daughter lives on the Western Slope and in traveling to these communities they have little in common with Boulder and Larimer counties. I am in favor of keeping the Western Slope whole and forming 2 Rural Districts due to common interests that are not in common with the Front Range and Metro areas. This current map will heavily favor Democratic representation and drown out the voices of our Rural communities. We will not be fairly represented. Thank you for your time.

My community of interest is Grand Junction and I have the following comments in support of the Colorado Farm Bureau's viewpoint: The "First Staff Plan" map doesn't work for rural Colorado. It ignores agriculture and rural Colorado's unique community of interest by combining it with urban and suburban populations and fails to reflect the differences in water administration, ag industry makeup, and social landscape between eastern and western parts of the state. It also ignores testimony from around the state regarding desired district lines. Commissioners must recognize rural Colorado as a distinct community of interest with different public policy concerns than that of urban non-farming areas due to differing agriculture, employment, and water needs and supplies such as was captured more in the "Preliminary plan."

The federal constitution specifically distinguishes representation by apportionment of population. Hence population is the most important thing. The proposed map conveniently places Western Garfield County into District 2 … That’s clearly gerrymandering, eliminating Rep. Boebert from District 3. Keep the western slope of Colorado together, to maintain rural Colorado's conservative voice.

Commissioner, we the Concerned Citizens of True Southern Colorado really appricate all the hard word, long hours, weekend session and the travel throughtout the State of Colorado on behalf of aALL citizens of Colorado, however we ask that you take the time to review and discuss the contents of the PDF Document concerning the Tafoya 5 map and the establishment of a South-Central Colorado Congressional District.

As an Educator, Community Leader and Chicana native to Pueblo, Colorado, I am ardently in support of the "Tafoya" design as it speaks to the preservation of the cultural and environmental sustainability of the strength of this region of the state to hold a strong place at the legislative table. We are the shepherds of the critical resources, water at the forefront, that are so desperately needed for all of Colorado to survive and we have too long been eclipsed by the jurisdiction of the north that barely recognizes are attributes and leadership. The struggle to represent our people, culture, and commitment to the rest of the state smacks of environmental racism and cultural genocide. It is time to right the wrong of so many years and create a balance among Coloradans, many of whom have been here for generations.

To the Commissioners, The proposed map for the Longmont area makes sense with one rather perplexing exception. McIntosh Lake and its adjacent neighborhoods have been left out of what would be HD11. When one considers "communities of interest," it's hard to understand why this has happened. Unlike the southwest section currently included in the proposed map, the section east of 75th, north of Hygiene Road, and south of Hwy 66 has been a part of, the City of Longmont for decades. The southwest section is not only a much newer part of Longmont, but it includes far more residents who work in Boulder rather than in Longmont so their interests are more likely to align with Boulder's. The map, as currently configured, places the northwest section in a house district separate from the middle and high schools that serve its children. If the southwest section were in HD13, the schools that serve its neighborhoods would be included. Finally, the McIntosh Lake recreation area itself has become - particularly during the pandemic years - an integral part of the life of the older part of Longmont and really should be included in the district it serves. I'm asking for a change that - with respect to how the map is drawn - seems pretty minor, but which, in fact, would make a very big difference to the City of Longmont and to its residents. Thank you for your service; I recognize how arduous this process is, and I genuinely appreciate your consideration. Susan F Boucher