Public Comments

I strongly encourage the commissioner to select a map that includes Grand County in a congressional district with Front Range communities. Grand County is primarily a recreation-based area and economy and it shares more communities of interest with Boulder and Larimer County than with western counties that are primarily agriculture and resource-based. Our concerns about the environment, equity, public health and housing are much more similar to residents on the Front Range. These concerns have been routinely rejected by congressional representatives from the western part of Colorado. We don’t believe that someone elected from the western part of Colorado would represent our interests. I was glad to see that the plan released in June that would have made Grand County part of a western slope District 3 was not pursued. I support the proposed Staff Plan 1 and the plan proposed by Commissioner Coleman. I prefer the later because it consolidates the recreation-based counties (Grand, Routt, Eagle, Summit, Pitkin, Lake) so that those communities of interests have stronger representation.

In viewing the new Congressional District map I strongly disagree with the division. Representation as divided, I feel, would not be beneficial to the rural counties. Rural areas would suffer as metro areas would benefit with such a division. This needs to be re-visited once again and a more equal redistricting map be proposed for public comment.

While I understand the frustration of urban folks on the Front Range with the new district lines, living on the western slope it would be a delight to have two congressional representatives looking out for the bigger interest of our natural resources and how it impacts the entire south west of the United States. If people living in the Denver metro area, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs urban areas don’t want people from western states to transplant in their areas, driving up housing costs; reducing housing inventory; adding to traffic; and taking up available jobs for the next generation, the solution is to work at the headwaters to prevent a drought migration from happening. If voters from the east don’t like the smoky air coming from the west, it would behoove them to care and work with Western Coloradans to prevent such catastrophes from happening in their own state and likely their own district. What better way to protect our interest at large than with the power to vote? Personally I care about what happens to mentioned cites, because when I visit, feeling safe and enjoying the area matters a lot. Hopefully people along the Front Range who enjoy the offerings of the rural areas, be it recreational or farm, will take some consideration to our common interests. Holding our best interest above is what divides us would be transformative for Coloradans and the United States. Please keep the newly drawn lines for Districts 2 and 3, separating north from south on the Western Slope. Thank you, Lauren Phillips Delta

Dear Commissioners, Thankyou for investing in our state’s redistricting. I’ve been a resident of Routt County over 70 years. I’m very disappointed in your recent map. Disappointed is not a strong enough word. The last map is one of onerous political gerrymandering. If you are honest with yourselves and at peace with your conscience, you’d agree. The Western Slope and Boulder County are at opposite ends of the spectrum in every way. From natural resources, water, forests, energy, tourism, transportation, percentage of public lands, agriculture and ranching , the western slope is uniquely different than the east side of the mountains. So differing fact we could be two different unique states both geographically and in almost every other way. So why oh why would you think the western slope should include the Eastern slope? I can think of no reason other than partisan motivated. Your current map ensures that residents on the other side of the mountains who share very little in common with us are making decisions on behalf of rural Coloradans. Is that what you believe to be fair and just? This non - sensical Sept map is a disservice to both the residents of CD2 and CD3. It’s a disservice to all of the Western Slope. I respectfully ask you to go back to your drawing board and give us a logical and fair map that includes all of the western slope. The current one is egregious to any fair- minded person. Thankyou again for your efforts. I trust your clean consciences will prevail this time. Del Lockhart

Thanks for your work to draw these maps, I imagine it isn't easy. I'd like to comment on the relative strengths and weakness of the Preliminary map and the First Staff Plan. The preliminary map has a lot of features I like: District 2 combines Boulder and Fort Collins, which share many interests; Districts 1, 6, 7, and 8 all represent portions of the Denver metro area, which I think is a good grouping. I live in Castle Rock, and most of my interests align with Denver metro; Districts 3 and 4 matches to people with similar needs and interests, I think it is good to keep the western slope and eastern plains together. The only weaknesses I see are that the eastern plains district includes a lot of high growth potential from the front range that could change the district over the next 10 years. I recognize that this plan didn't have the final census numbers, but the general layout seemed good to me. I struggled to find things in the first staff plan that I liked. I think it's good to have the Springs as a district. The weakness I see in this map is that it combines lots of urban and rural areas that don't have as much in common: Castle Rock/Highlands Ranch/Fort Collins with eastern plains, Boulder/Longmont with northwest Colorado, west Denver with South Park, and even to a certain extent north Denver with Greeley. In these cases, I think the citizens of the rural areas will be heard less than under the preliminary map.

Please don't split up Summit County in your redistricting plan. I believe Summit County needs to be connected to 3rd congressional district rather than split into 2nd and 7th. We are mountain, sky country and fit with 3rd district. Thanks Cynthia Meinders

Thank you for your time working on the redistricting. Like many other citizens, I took the time to comment at the Steamboat Springs redistricting meeting. After hearing what folks had to say there, I was pretty shocked to see the first iteration of the new Congressional districting map lumping rural western slope Counties together with Boulder County. As I testified to at the meeting the western slope has vastly different interests than the front range when it comes to water, minerals, wildlife and other issues. Perhaps when considering the make up of a district, taking a look at how people voted on a non-partisan issue, that would have a great impact on that district, would be a useful exercise. The 31 Counties that make up the existing CD3 would feel the brunt of the reintroduction of wolves into Colorado. Those that live in Boulder County would not. Of the 31 Counties in CD 3, 26 voted in opposition to Proposition 114. Those 26 Counties did so by an overwhelming majority of over 60% opposed and some of the most impacted Counties with over 80% opposed. Overall, the existing district was opposed by a 58.5% majority. Boulder County, on the other hand, voted in favor of Proposition 114 by a massive 67.8% majority. If this doesn't highlight how out of touch Boulder County is with the needs of the citizens of the existing CD3, their community interests, and public policy concerns, I don't know what would. I strongly urge you to reconsider the Congressional district maps as most recently drawn and place Boulder County with other front range Counties with more similar interests. CD3 should remain a primarily western slope and if necessary, southern rural County district. I am attaching a spreadsheet of the election results for Proposition 114. The data was taken from https://www.coloradoan.com/elections/results/race/2020-11-03-ballot_initiative-CO-7699/?itm_source=oembed&itm_medium=news&itm_campaign=electionresults Thank you for your consideration of my thoughts on this matter. Dave Moloney Former member Colorado Association of Realtors Legislative Policy Committee Current Candidate For Steamboat Springs City Council

I am the fifth generation of my family to live in Steamboat Springs Colorado. Routt County is a rural community with a resort in Steamboat and ranching and other rural community in neighboring towns. We have VERY LITTLE in common with Boulder. I can tell you that everyone in this area considers Boulder basically an offshoot of Denver, part of the "front range" and NOT a mountainous area like ours. We have a large ranching community here, while Boulder is full of city slicker types who occasionally recreate in the outdoors. We LIVE in the outdoors. Our culture is very different. Boulderites tend to "dip their toes in nature" while wearing their spandex lululemon yoga pants for a few hours. We tromp around in the wilderness for days, wearing leather, tracking an elk in hopes of landing our family meat for the next winter. When people from Boulder say they are "outdoorsy" and "recreate outdoors" they mean something so entirely different from what it means to live and function in nature the way we do. DO NOT lump us in ANY WAY with the Boulder community. They are not a tourist destination the way Steamboat is, they are not truly outdoorsmen or ranchers in any form. They are city folk who THINK they know about our lifestyle - but don't. DO NOT GROUP US WITH THEM!!

I am an independent community banker from Fowler, Colorado and am concerned about the redistricting map as proposed by your commission. I am an avid supporter of our town and rural community. I am concerned that the map as proposed does not represent a community of common interest. My concern is that the population centers of Pueblo and Grand Junction as well as Eagle and Pitkin counties will outweigh my voice as a supporter of rural Colorado. In addition the interest of Southwest Colorado are much different than those of Southcentral and Southeast Colorado. I appreciate your consideration for revising your proposed map. Rural Colorado's Voice will be diminished even more if the map as proposed is approved. Sincerely, Scott Jensen

Thank you for the critical public service you are providing though your work on redistricting. Please consider including a test for gerrymandering during your important deliberations. See the updated Guide to Fair Redistricting. https://preprints.apsanet.org/engage/api-gateway/apsa/assets/orp/resource/item/6138e4f565db1ec5eab053ec/original/fair-and-square-redistricting.pdf (More than 1650 views and 950 downloads on the American Political Science Association Preprints Page) Respectfully and Gratefully, Jim Fox