Public Comments

Dear Commission: The latest proposed map of September 3rd appears to be questionable regarding several issues: *First, if there is an intention to put agriculture areas separate or have ag included with some areas of population then the map seems curiously skewed *Next, to disperse the population as mapped also seems to be much less non-partisan based on voting results *Further, considering this seemingly more partisan slant to redistricting, what other factors might it be based on...if not partisan? *When claiming to be non-partisan, it seems that you have failed to accomplish this and set up the voters rather than equalized their options *It is already difficult for the ag culture to mesh with large cities such as Boulder and Denver and at times even Colorado Springs, so this new redistricting will have a more devastating effect that will further pit large cities against the ag culture we so desperately need here in Colorado *This design of redistricting needs to be having equal consideration for ALL Coloradoans, no partisan, no discrimination Thank you (submitted via email 9/10/21)

It is totally ridiculous to lump Boulder and larimer counties with routt county et al. Needs, interests, and economic health are totally different. This will end the voice of those counties west of the front range.

There’s a big range of mountains that runs north and south through Colorado. Since days 100s of years ago when the Ute’s were on the western side of those mountains and the Kiowa’s were on the east, there have been cultural divisions created by those mountains. Those cultural divisions prevailed throughout the settlement of Colorado and in spite of our technologies, our inhabitants, our governments – fortunately, there remain cultural differences today. Those same mountains still prevail – still creating the need for culture differences like the foundations of our social makeup, our economies, our industries, our lively hoods, our lives. I’m a Colorado native that has been a part of a few of the many different cultures our nation offers having lived in barren eastern Wyoming ranchlands (10 years), in developing Florida swamplands (5 years), in Economically booming Colorado front range (30 years) and in Colorado’s western slope (21 years.) They are all different, they are all precious, and combined they are what make this nation vibrant, diverse, dynamic, and an international standout. To Colorado’s benefit, even today those mountains tell us we have different cultures within our state. Different parts of our widely diverse state have different needs, different opinions, different economies, and even different responsibilities to our state. It’s what makes our state amazing, diverse and unique. Why change it? I’m baffled at the recent suggested Colorado congressional redistricting map that appears to want to remove those mountains and remove (after all these centuries) the benefit of having distinct cultures. An example - Culturally mixing areas like Routt County with Boulder County is like mixing together a good beef stew and a garden salad and expecting something as good a Jambalaya. It doesn’t work. Let the culture of the metropolitan front-range pick representation in Congress that serves those best. Extend the same respect to the eastern plains, Southern Colorado, our beautiful mountains and our Western Slope. Respect and nurture Colorado’s cultural diversity in Congress as well as here.

As a lifelong Weld County native, I am very troubled by both the proposed Legislative and the Congressional maps. Why are Johnstown-Milliken-Gilcrest-LaSalle split? Why have they been drawn out of the Congressional district that represents Weld County when they provide both huge agriculture and recreational dollars? Agriculture is something that unites this part of the county, and my community is proud to represent rural, agriculture, and Weld County interests. It is devastating to see that the redistricting commission wants to interfere with that. Looking beyond my home county, it is obvious that the goal of these maps is to further the urban-rural divide that is already a significant issue in this state. Communities such as Craig and Walden share little to nothing in common with places like Boulder, and should absolutely not be represented in that way. It is a slap in the face to our frontier communities on the western slope. This map also fails to acknowledge the difference in water administration, agriculture policies, labor policy, healthcare policy, and other policy needs that exist between the western slope and the eastern slope. The state does not revolve around the Front Range. The needs and opinions of rural Colorado need to be taken into consideration. It is evident that those on the redistricting committee absolutely ignored the interests of rural Colorado and the agriculture industry. Was their testimony even taken into consideration? It does not appear so when looking at this map. Weld County already does not want to be a part of this state anymore. I believe that if these proposed maps move forward, it will only further the push for Weld County to break away from the state of Colorado. In a year where Colorado’s agriculture industry has faced the cancelation of National Western Stock Show, the PAUSE Initiative, and the Meat-Out Declaration; it is disappointing to see the commission chose to further ignore the people that represent the agriculture industry instead of helping them.

Family, farming and hunting and the ability to utilize our rights to all appropriately

Dear Members of the Colorado Redistricting Commission, I am a 38 year resident of Teller County, Colorado. My husband and I raise chickens and dairy goats on a small ranch on the homelands of the Ute Nation. For many years, my husband commuted to Colorado Springs for work, and we have travelled extensively around southern Colorado. I have been a member of the Teller County Planning Commission for over 25 years. I feel that my life experience in Colorado gives me valuable insights into the redistricting process. I am very favorably impressed by the 1st Staff Map for the following reasons. The proposed CD 7 contains counties that share important issues that create a unique group of common interest. These counties contain the headwaters of most of the eastern flowing rivers in Colorado. As you are well aware, water quality and availability are critical, not only to the population centers of the Front Range and states to the east of Colorado, but also to farmers and ranchers from the east side of the Continental Divide to the Mississippi River. It is very important that these headwaters counties have a unified voice in Washington. The CD 7 counties are also subject to extreme growth pressures from the Front Range cities and from the influx of people moving into Colorado. The shared stresses of rapid population growth on the intermountain counties create a community of interest among areas that at first may seem dissimilar. Ski resort communities that depend on tourism as well as farming and ranching communities will be well served by having unified representation in Washington. These counties share large areas of federal and state land in national parks and monuments, national forests, BLM land, and state parks and wildlife areas. This creates another community of common interest in dealing with the impacts of wildfire and tourism on these public lands. Gilpin, Clear Creek, Summit, Jefferson, Lake, Park, Teller, Chaffee, and Fremont Counties, the intermountain counties, create a community of interest on many levels, and would be best served by unified representation. I urge you to keep these counties with the inclusion of the part of Summit County shown on the 1st Staff Plan together as a unified CD 7. Sincerely, Wendy Dillenschneider, Ph. D.

I am a fourteen-year resident of Fort Collins and I oppose the First Staff Map for CD 4 which carves out the city of Fort Collins from the rest of Larimer County to provide the urban population boost that is needed to make a district of the Eastern plains from the borders of Wyoming to New Mexico. There are at least three issues that support my opposition. 1. The stated criteria on the Commission website include “preserve…whole political subdivisions, such as counties.” I find it hard to imagine how our Larimer County government, which is physically centered in the county seat of Fort Collins, can effectively advocate for all of its citizens when it is truncated so that it has to live in two Congressional districts and interact with two likely very different members of Congress. As Kristin Stephens, Larimer County Commissioner said on the recent Tuesday zoom hearing, it would cause whiplash! 2. Another stated criterion of the Commission is to preserve “whole communities of interest” which stand to be affected by governmental decisions made by their representatives. Many comments already submitted have discussed the many differences between the city of Fort Collins and the rest of the counties on the Eastern plains and I will not list them again, but I just want to highlight some information which the Commission has provided in two Reports on the website—Voter Registration and Election Results by Congressional District. Fort Collins is a much better match with CD 2 than with CD 4 in terms of party affiliation--CD 2 is 22% R, 32% D and 44% U while CD 4 is almost the reverse at 35% R, 21% D and 43 U. Election results across all 8 state and national elections in 2016 show a similar pattern—CD 2 had a Democratic advantage of 22% while CD 4 had a Republican advantage of 16%. To carve out a strong, vibrant community with common interests and values and toss it into an inhospitable district goes too far. On the Tuesday zoom I heard someone say that CSU is an “Ag school” and so should be with the rural plains counties but that is based on old ideas of what it means to be “Ag anything”. Many departments at CSU may sound like Ag but are really doing cutting edge work on environmental sustainability. It is a leading research university. The values that underlie such work are usually at odds with economic ventures that make their living from extraction and externalizing the long-term costs to the health and welfare of surrounding communities. 3. Finally, I ask a simple question—why do this when there are other options for dealing with Colorado’s population distribution and the way it interacts with the requirements for equal populations in Congressional Districts? Maps provide a few possibilities—why not leave Greeley and its population with the rest of Weld County and the Eastern plains? I doubt that they want to be divided. Why remove Arapahoe County and its population from CD 4, thus creating the need for another county like Larimer to literally give up its county seat to that district? It is unfair, counter-productive in terms of government functioning and it is unnecessary. Please draw another map.

Colorado has long been thought of as a country atmosphere. People come to Colorado to enjoy the many outdoor activities in the wide open spaces. Yes, there are multiple very large cities also but they should NOT be allowed to take over the western feel of this great state. I implore the commission to not overlook and ignore the citizens who live in, work in and play in our rural areas. The citizens of these areas must have as large of a voice as the cities. Please know that these rural communities of interest must remain whole if we are to have suitable representation of our state in Washington, D.C.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed Congressional redistricting maps. As the Mayor of Lafayette, I wanted to emphasize how important it is for my city to remain in a district with Boulder, Louisville, and other Boulder County communities. Our communities hold very similar views and we collaborate together on many important issues, such as climate policy and projects, water conservation efforts, affordable housing, transportation projects, and more. This includes our participation in the Northwest Mayors & Commissioners Coalition (Westminster north to Longmont along the 36 corridor), which prioritizes local transportation projects and lobbies for funding at the federal level. We do not work in the same way with communities in Weld County in any way. My community is passionate about ending the drilling of fossil fuels, including hydraulic fracturing, and has voted to approve a Community Bill of Rights and a cutting edge Pollution Tax on new drinking. City Council also adopted the Climate Bill of Rights, recognizing the right to a healthy climate for all residents. As you work to adjust borders in the next version of the map, I implore you to continue recognizing that this ethic is diametrically opposed to that in Weld County, where super pad sights of more than 20 drill heads are being permitted next to residential developments. It is imperative that these values are represented at a national level with our member of Congress. Thank you for considering these comments.

I live in Summit County. The latest redistricting map largely fails one of the highest priorities for determination of legislative districts as defined in the Colorado Constitution. That is, the Commission’s plan must preserve whole communities of interest and whole political subdivisions such as counties, cities, and towns. Colorado’s front range communities are increasingly densely populated urban areas that have decidedly different priorities than our west slope communities on policy issues such as water management, forest management, transportation infrastructure, health care cost and delivery, and education funding. Additionally, communities away from the front range have a very different economic focus that is based on tourism, ranching, farming, and energy development. In an effort to create a southern district, the latest plan undercuts and dramatically diminishes the interests of west slope and south park counties by including them in districts that will be dominated by front range urban and suburban areas. Worse, Summit County has been arbitrarily split into two districts. This is in direct violation of the Constitutional language that such divisions are permitted only where they are based on a preponderance of the evidence that the residents’ community of interest legislative issues are fairly represented. This map is not based on any such evidence. The Commission’s proposed map from June is far superior to the latest map in preserving like communities of interest of the west slope and south park counties. Thank you.