Public Comments

I am in favor of the map as drawen. I believe it is fair to both Republicans and Democrates. Respectifully, Loralea M Lowder Republican Precinct Leader

Do not tell me that southeast Elpaso county has to lumped into urban areas. I deliver mail in southeast El paso county. When I started my mail route in 2002. I had 88. Now I have 148 boxes. Do not tell me that there is not enough citizens in southeast Elpaso county to be lumped in with the urban districts. This is nothing but a democrat power grab. We may be rural. But our voices will be heard. We are not stupid hicks.

I am a resident of Westminster in Adams County. It is very important that the new lines be drawn in such a manner that communities of color do not have their votes diluted. This will ensure that minorities have a voice in elections, which is very important to me. All over the country attempts are being made to take voting rights away. I am very opposed to this. Thank you, Judy Pickeral

Pueblo and Colorado Springs both have rich cultural history. We also share the common interest of water for our new residents, tourism, agriculture and for the future generation in Colorado. As a resident of Pueblo for over 30 years I'm naturally concerned about Pueblo not getting a voice in Congress. Colorado Springs and Pueblo have different needs from Denver and Boulder. We also like to maintain our rich history of diversity and acceptance. We are both blue collar communities. Working hard and believing in America are inherent in our communities. Please consider Pueblo and Colorado Springs needs before having them joined with larger cities that don't necessarily share our needs, water issues and tourism strength. We also share interest in education, public health and overall community diversity.

It appears that we're going with the status quo and designing districts based on assigning seats to political parties. Why are you dismissing the political beliefs of so many Coloradans by going in this direction? Why didn't you choose to make every district competitive? Why did you choose political parties over the collective voices of Colorado citizens?

I have lived in Adams County my entire life by choice. The proposed map changes put me and my family in a district where I am under-represented. I do not believe the changes will allow my voice to be heard and this is concerning. Please reconsider these changes

I am thankful that Colorado had the foresight to establish this independent commission. However, I think that the goal of the commission should not be to give partisan groups equal representation (i.e. half of Colorado's representation Republican and half Democrat). Rather, I think that it should be fully representative of Colorado's population. To me, that means leaving communities intact. Gerrymandering has a long history of splitting communities of color and reducing the impact of their vote. I believe CLLARO's recent legislative map submission is more reflective of Colorado's population than the initial map provided by the independent commission. With specifics to my community, Boulder County values our access to the outdoors and shares a political sensibility with Longmont, Gunbarrel, Superior, Louisville, and other surrounding cities. Thank you for taking the time to engage with the community.

I am a lifetime resident of Commerce City. The preliminary redistricting maps that split the city into two congressional district’s 4 and 8. This would split north and south commerce city. The city is already split geographically. The divide would dilute representation within a community that is predominantly Hispanic. A underlined issue common to the area is pollution from the refinery. Dividing the city into two voting blocks would dampen the voice of a community with a high number of Hispanic/Chicano population, trying to find answers to mitigating environmental racism. I support the CLARRO maps.

District 6 in Centennial & Parker: The new proposed District 6 (orange) creates a significant split of Asian populations in Douglas and Arapahoe County. A more equitable line would move the southern boundary line of proposed District 6 from E County Line/C-470 to Wildcat Reserve Parkway / Lincoln Avenue such that Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree are included in District 6. Congressional District in Denver & Jefferson County: The new proposed changes in the southwest corner of District 1 effectively excludes a high percentage of Asian Americans and moves them to District 7. This move lessens the Asian American power in District 1, and moves it to District 7. This move includes around an estimated 2500 Asian Americans and 200 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs). State House District 1 in Denver: The new proposed State House District 1 and 2 effectively splits Little Saigon. Although there are not large populations of Asian American’s (AA) here, there are a ton of AA businesses and workers that commute to this area. AA’s depend on Little Saigon for their preservation of culture and financial livelihoods. To keep Little Saigon in one district, the proposed northern boundary of District 1 currently along W Exposition Avenue and W Center Avenue can be moved up to W Alameda Avenue. Alternatively, the proposed southern boundary of District 2 can be moved down from W Exposition Avenue and W Center Avenue to W Mississippi Avenue. State House District 20 and 21 in Centennial and Aurora: The new proposed State District of 20 and 21 effectively cuts a large majority of Asian Americans that live in Centennial and Aurora. There are approximately 3,000 Asian Americans north and south of E Arapahoe Road between I-25 and S Parker Road. With the split, these populations will be split quite equally (around 1,500 each) into District 20 and 21. To keep the population in Cherry Creek area, the southern boundary of State District 20 can be drawn from I-25 and E Arapahoe Road south to 1-25 and E County Line Road. However, if drawn this way, the Asian American population will be much lower in State District 21. The decision then lies in if the community wants to have very strong representation in State District 20, or decent representation in both State District 20 and State District 21. State House District 16 and 18: The new proposed State Legislative Districts 16 and 18 follow old lines with E Mississippi Avenue serving as the border between the two. The Havana Improvement Business District, however, runs on N Havana St from Dartmouth Avenue to 6th Avenue. With these districts, there is a split in the middle at E MIssissippi Avenue. The Havana Improvement Business District is incredibly diverse and supports several minority small business owners. State Legislative District 18 as it stands will encompass all of the proposed Korea Town. State House District 5, 8, and 18 in Southwest Denver: The new proposed State Legislative Districts of 5, 8, and 18 split a large population of Asian Americans along Cherry Creek North and South. To keep the Asian Americans in one area , the boundary of State Legislative District 18 from S Quebec St and Cherry Creek North to S Monoco Parkway from Cherry Creek North. This will increase the Asian American population in State Legislative District 18 by approximately 700. State House District 45 and 44 in Colorado Springs: The new proposed State Legislative District 45 and 44 cut off a large population of Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (213). To amplify power of NHPIs, State District 45 southwest boundary at I-25 and S Nevada Ave should be moved south to Lake Ave and S Nevada Ave.

Agree with the Redistricting Commission. Summit County shares an economic, geographic and cultural community of interest with the Western Slope, and that’s where our representation in the U.S. Congress and the Colorado Legislature should be. Colorado's Front Range is a densely populated urban area of our state. We are not an urban center and our voices expressing our local concerns get drowned out by the high populations of Denver and Boulder. We have more in common on a wide range of policy issues with our surrounding counties and the Western Slope such as tourism, transportation, water, forest management, education and health care. For these reasons, I support including Summit County in the 3rd Congressional District separating us from Boulder and Jefferson counties. I support the proposed Colorado House District for Summit County. The proposed Colorado Senate District shares some of the characteristics of the House District but could be improved by including Park County with Summit County. I thank the commission for its hard work on this issue.