Public Comments

I have become aware that the Wind Crest campus, where my wife & I live, lies within two legislative districts in Highland Ranch/Littleton. These are Districts 22 & 33, which are separated by the High Line Canal. Wind Crest occupies both sides of the canal but we residents form a unified community and it seems logical that we all live and vote in a single district. Please consider placing the Wind Crest community in a single district. Thank you, George Ulrich Highlands Ranch, 80129 (submitted by email 7/24/21)

Thanks for your time and work on this redistricting issue. I am a resident of the Wind Crest retirement community in Highlands Ranch. I am requesting that our community be included within only one legislative district and not two separate districts as is currently proposed. In the most recent preliminary legislative district map, it appears our campus would be split between District 22 and District 33. Wind Crest is a community of seniors who live, eat, and participate in activities throughout the campus which straddles the Highline Canal. We are also very active voters. Having our community located in two districts would create confusion among people who are and want to continue to be engaged in political activities. Please consider keeping the Wind Crest community in one district. Thank you. R Faye Yoder Wind Crest Resident (submitted by email 7/23/21)

I am strongly opposed to the continuation of prison gerrymandering in Colorado. Prison gerrymandering is undemocratic and grants unwarranted overrepresentation to areas that house prisoners. (submitted by email 7/23/21)

Commission Staff Colorado independent Redistricting Commission Please consider our appeal to not change our voting district In which we live, Montrose County, and those cities and counties that are affected in our district. We do not want towns and cities split up, for it will bring confusion to voters as well as school districts with people experiencing difficulty where to even vote. Please keep our district(s) the same. Thank you. William C Kennedy Kathleen E Kennedy 62437 Spring Creek Road Montrose, CO 81403-7934

The proposed redistricting is not competitive; you are bound by law to make them competitive. They also are not fairly comprised of communities of LIKE INTERESTS, as you are also bound by law to do. For example, Fremont, Park and Teller counties do not belong in this district; they are suburban commuting communities for Colorado Springs. The Western Slope is primarily rural; small mountain towns and surrounding communities; most of our income comes from recreation and agriculture. Our area should include Gilpin County, and the western parts of Larimer, Boulder, and Jefferson counties. The San Luis Valley (Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache) should be retained, having a history of over 50 years in CD3, and shared water, agriculture, public lands, and national park interests with the rest of the district. This proposed grouping would accomplish a competitive grouping, along with putting communities with common interests together, to coordinate protection of the water shed, a large portion of the state's public lands, wildfire territory and Western Slope agriculture. I strongly object to the current map being proposed, and attached an alternative proposed map for CD3. Susannah Smith PhD

We are long term Summit County residents who have been active in our community for many years. We have several concerns about the proposal to change our legislative house district and believe it should include Summit, Lake and Clear Creek counties based on their multiple, and deep, shared community interests. 1) Lake and Clear Creek counties are bedroom communities for many of those who work in Summit. 2) The Loveland ski area in Clear Creek and the Arapahoe Basin ski area in Summit share transportation and environmental concerns with the road over Loveland Pass. 3) All three counties depend on the Eisenhower Tunnel and I-70 for critical transportation. 4) Summit and Lake have historically been in the same state House district and have a long history of working together on issues of mutual interest. 5) The mining company Freeport McMoran straddles Lake and Summit and is the largest employer in Lake and therefore there are common interests in these counties relating to this company. 6) St. Anthony's Hospital is the primary health care provider in all three counties and issues of access and cost are common to all three. Thank you for considering these important concerns in devising a new legislative map.

Dear Members of the Commission, thank you for coming out to Montrose today to hear input on the preliminary maps - I am attaching some thoughts for your consideration. Best Regards, Kathleen Curry

I understand there is some thought of combining Larimer and Weld county in the redistricting. On the basis of community of interest I am opposed. I think the differences far outweigh any similarities. I have lived in Estes Park for over 35 years - Ft Collins, Loveland and Boulder - all mountain oriented and connected to Rocky Mountain National Park. Thank you

Testimony to the Redistricting Committee July 30, 2021 Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts on the proposed redistricting maps. My name is Dea Jacobson. I live in Cedaredge, in Delta County, about an hour north of Montrose. I have lived in this region for over 50 years. I spent a dozen years on a fruit farm in Paonia in Delta County, and another 10 years in Grand Junction serving as an aide for Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a former Congressman and Senator from the 3rd Congressional District. I have been running a small business in Grand Junction and Cedaredge for the last 26 years. I serve on several boards and am an active volunteer in my community, currently serving as President of the Cedaredge Community Gardens Association. My testimony is for both commissions. In my opinion, the map for Congressional redistricting gives too much weight to the party of the incumbent, making the 3rd district far less competitive than the current district. While probably not intentional, these boundaries make it non compliant with section 44.3 of the revised Colorado Constitution which directs the commission to maximize the number of politically competitive districts. Having districts that are not competitive encourages voter apathy. I am concerned that citizens won't believe their vote matters, since the outcome for one party or another is a forgone conclusion. It encourages the feeling that the system is rigged in favor of one party or the other. A possible solution is to remove Park, Teller and Fremont Counties which belong with the Front Range, add Gilpin County and reinstate the 6 counties of the San Luis Valley, Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache. Family Agriculture and water issues are similar between the San Luis Valley and the Western Slope and this is a much better representative fit for the district. As far as the State Legislative and State Senate districts, Delta CO will be cut into 4 pieces...2 House seats and 2 Senate Seats. Delta CO would be better represented by being kept intact as a county with its own community of interest and would best fit in a district that includes Montrose and Gunnison Counties with whom it shares water and agricultural resources and transportation routes. Specifically, the communities of Paonia and Cedaredge in Delta County were put in District 55 with Mesa County, separated from the rest of the North Fork Valley which is a distinct agricultural community of interest connected by highways 92 and 133 and the North Fork River. The towns of Hotchkiss and Crawford, also in the North Fork Valley, are proposed to be in District 53 with the City of Delta and Montrose to the south. Cedaredge and Paonia are only accessible to the rest of District 55 by going through District 53. The Senate district map is also flawed by dividing Delta County between districts 6 and 7. Including Delta, Montrose and Gunnison Counties in one district would be much more cohesive as they share the transportation route of US 50 and the Gunnison and Uncompahgre watersheds, as well as National Forest and BLM lands in contiguous management units. Surely a way can be found to leave Delta County whole and in one House and one Senate District. The proposed arrangement is confusing to voters and creates more work for county elections officials who must prepare 4 different ballots as the split for the House Districts is different than the split for the Senate districts. I hope this feedback is helpful and appreciate the opportunity to share my opinion to the commission.

I don't support the proposed map because all mountain resort communities should be in the same congressional district. We share the same issues and concerns, which get diluted when spread across different congressional districts and lead to ineffective representation. I have seen the 3rd congressional district alternative "competitive" map and believe that it would provide fairer, more representative congressional representation for our communities.