Public Comments

Dear Commissioners: I am writing as a Broomfield City Councilmember and a resident who lives along Lowell Boulevard, the proposed dividing line between a new 7th and 8th congressional districts. The word "division" is precisely what this map creates and I urge you to reject any map that divides a community. The County and City of Broomfield was created 20 years ago this November to unite a city that was divided among four counties. We remain served by five school districts, so becoming "One Broomfield" remains a goal. It would be a foul move, on this anniversary, to divide our community again into two congressional districts. Broomfield is already the state's smallest county by geographic size -- yet its fastest growing in the last decade. We need cohesion as our community grows. Please reject this proposed division and support "unity in our community" by placing the entire City and County of Broomfield in one Congressional district. Thank you. Todd Cohen

On Congressional redistricting: Instead of upholding the democratic rights of the minority, the intent of the "non-partisan" committee is to smash them. The third Congressional district has historically been the Western Slope's and is the conservative part of our state. We have little in common with the citizens of Boulder, over 200 miles away and across the rugged part of the Continental Divide. I would guess that few residents of that county could find Rangely, Meeker, or Dinosaur on a map. The Western Slope has more in common with our more rural neighbors in southern Colorado. What this is all about, really, is our fire-brand of a representative, right-wing Lauren Boebert. Regardless if she suits one's politics or not, she was duly elected by the 3rd. I would ask the commission to take a step back and redraw the boundary lines and keep the 3rd district where it historically and rightfully belongs. Gail Saunders

The first staff plan map for congressional redistricting disregards rural Colorado as a community of interest by watering down our opportunity to be represented in Congress with urban and suburban populations. In addition, it fails to recognize the considerable differences between Eastern & Western Colorado. Please revert back to the preliminary congressional map and start again. Thank you, Sabrina Hornung Burlington

Hello, my name is Ryan. I am a resident of Jefferson County colorado. I am a registered Independent voter, but I lean conservative in terms of my political views. Your job is not easy and you cannot make everyone happy, however, I think that the draft map released as shown in the article below misses the mark of a good compromise (that everyone should be a little disappointed). You are going to make too many Republicans disappointed and too many Democrats happy. In your instructions on this feedback form, you ask about the shared interests that unite my community and what our policy concerns are. The word community is a bit loosely defined, but when you ask about my community, I take it to mean both my local area (Logan County) and also the community of people who are closer to the political center than the wings of either party. I think that both communities I mention above want the same thing: they want a voice in this state. I think they feel they don't have one now. They want a return to policy that serves more people than just those Progressive Democrats clustered along the Front Range. I think your map, as put forth in the articles I've read, perpetuates that. It doesn't contain nearly enough competitive districts. While I recognize the demographic shifts that have taken place in this state, I also recognize that the way the districts are drawn now (and the way they're drawn in your draft map) encourages politicians of both parties to appeal to the wings of their base. They know there are not enough people in the center, but on the other side of the bubble, to force them to tone down their policy. That is a shame and you have a chance to fix it. As I said at the beginning, I do not envy you your job, but you have it. You are going to draw the maps that will set the districts in this state for 10 years. A full decade. Please approach your maps with more thought to keeping the policy in this state centrist. Please approach your maps with more thought as to making sure that everyone on both sides of the aisle is only a little disappointed. Please approach your maps with more thought as to how you can make sure that all Coloradans feel they have a reasonable chance at having their voices heard. I look forward to seeing your next draft map. Ryan https://www.cpr.org/2021/09/13/colorados-redistricting-state-legislative-districts-draft-map/?fbclid=IwAR3lJR6eu0fjTB_gdVlZPV1CgHX2HUyazOLD2QF3ev1e9OLJZQqBF8S-DZg

I am a long time resident in the 3rd Congressional district. The current staff plan is unacceptable. It removes 5 counties from western Colorado and adds 3 counties from the front range. Minor changes to achieve population targets have been necessary in the past but this is a radical change that dilutes the voice of a traditionally rural area defined by two river basins, the Colorado and the Rio Grande. These front range counties do not have the shared interests of western Colorado counties. We were promised that an "Independent Commission" would provide a fair and unbiased mechanism to satisfy the redistricting needs of the people. This plan is not fair to the people of western Colorado and as for unbiased, it is a thinly veiled effort to gerrymander a popular Congresswoman out of office and split up a cohesive voting district with a shared heritage, shared interests, and the constitutional right to representation. In the Federalist Papers much was said about the possibility for "Tyranny by majority". Unless the decisions made by majority rule were restricted from infringing on the rights of individuals that possibility becomes inevitable. This redistricting plan further enables the front range counties to impose their will on the rest of Colorado against the wishes of the people of western Colorado. I strongly urge the commission to reconsider and to limit the 3rd Congressional district boundary changes to minor adjustments to achieve population targets. Be the fair and unbiased commission we were promised.

Please do not split Wellington back into the Weld Count district from the Front Range districts. I finally felt that we had representatives who reflected my family's views after the last redistricting after decades of representation by politicians who were so out of touch with 21st century problems, we might as well not have voted. Wellington is a very rapidly growing suburban area and should be with other urban areas. If you want to split the rural parts of Larimer county to match the rural areas of Weld county, make the dividing line Owl Canyon Road (County Rd 70)

To the members of the Colorado State Legislative District Committee, Hello, my name is Cory. I am a resident of Logan County Colorado. I am a registered Independent voter, but I will be frank and let you know that I lean conservative in terms of my political views. I have written you before, but reading the recent article by CPR (linked below) spurred me to want to write again. I do not envy you your job. I am a teacher and know very well the situation you're in: no matter what decision you make you are going to make someone disappointed and/or angry. I think, however, that the draft map released as shown in the article below misses the mark of a good compromise (that everyone should be a little disappointed). You are going to make too many Republicans disappointed and too many Democrats happy. In your instructions on this feedback form, you ask about the shared interests that unite my community and what our policy concerns are. The word community is a bit loosely defined, but when you ask about my community, I take it to mean both my local area (Logan County) and also the community of people who are closer to the political center than the wings of either party. I think that both communities I mention above want the same thing: they want a voice in this state. I think they feel they don't have one now. They want a return to policy that serves more people than just those Progressive Democrats clustered along the Front Range. I think your map, as put forth in the articles I've read, perpetuates that. It doesn't contain nearly enough competitive districts. While I recognize the demographic shifts that have taken place in this state, I also recognize that the way the districts are drawn now (and the way they're drawn in your draft map) encourages politicians of both parties to appeal to the wings of their base. They know there are not enough people in the center, but on the other side of the bubble, to force them to tone down their policy. That is a shame and you have a chance to fix it. As I said at the beginning, I do not envy you your job, but you have it. You are going to draw the maps that will set the districts in this state for 10 years. A full decade. Please approach your maps with more thought to keeping the policy in this state centrist. Please approach your maps with more thought as to making sure that everyone on both sides of the aisle is only a little disappointed. Please approach your maps with more thought as to how you can make sure that all Coloradans feel they have a reasonable chance at having their voices heard. I look forward to seeing your next draft map. Cory https://www.cpr.org/2021/09/13/colorados-redistricting-state-legislative-districts-draft-map/

It is obvious that the commission is deliberately trying to rid Colorado of boebert. The citizens voted for her and she deserves to represent her peers in western Colorado. Cd 2 is already a poor representation of rural and conservative voices since you put all of larimer county into it from cd4. And now you are doing it again. Shame on you. Representative republic!!!! If you can keep it. News flash: we don’t all agree with the communists in Denver and as citizens of a so called republic, we deserve our representation. Don’t be thieves.

Please do not split Broomfield into two! Let us remain united.

I am appalled that you spoke in support of the proposed Colorado House map. This is a blatant bit of gerrymandering to rip City of Steamboat into a different district than the rest of Routt County. One of the main principles in drawing fair maps is that lower level political divisions such as cities and counties should not be divided. In a democracy, it should be acknowledged that people with different interests will share a political division such as a county or House district. And how is anyone supposed to campaign or represent the voters in rural Route when the population center of the county is in a different district? Voters, come to the centrally located campaign rally that just happens to be in a different district? I could be considered a reliable Democratic voter, but I will never vote for any Democrat running in a gerrymandered district like that. sdw