Public Comments

Dear Congressional Redistricting Commissioners: Based on 2019 estimates there are enough people in South-Central Colorado to form our own congressional District right now. After the release of 2020 census data there will officially be more that the required 710,000 population. It is imperative that this commission consider strongly to create a congressional district from the South-Central portion of the State. In Order to achieve this, El Paso County will have to split at Pikes Peak Ave and all areas of South-Central Colorado east of the Continental Divide, South of El Paso County and the area of the Arkansas River Basin including Crowley and Otero counties. The area known as the San Luis Valley needs to be included in the new congressional district The reasons that it is vitally important to this area are: Geographic Continuity, which means we in on area will be represent together whereas now the areas suggested to be united are parts of three current Congressional Districts (3th, 4th, 5th) and by consolidation one South-Central Colorado Congressional District to inhabitants of this area will be united in our representation. This will ensure that important congressional action will take into consideration the needs of the people and not the needs of on dominate political affiliation, as the case is currently being administered. By taking a portion of El Paso County is not only a population maneuver, it allows a critical economic portion of the center of the State to be involved with more rural areas and thereby strengthen both economic and cultural relationship throughout South- Central Colorado. By keeping most of the Arkansas River basin together (from its source in Lake County and along the Upper and Lower Arkansas Valleys) it will strengthen our position in Congress for conservation, ecological issues, and waters regulation and ensure the water from the 6th largest river in the United States is kept in tack and distributed along the current basin and to not distributed in areas that do not care about the health of the river. The San Luis Valley and the mountain counties of Custer, Fremont, Chaffee, and Lake will also be rep-resented in a geographical coherent area and they will be part of a continual Congressional District that does not involve ideologies and polices that favor strong the Western Slope and will allow these counties to be represented in a more favorable manner that is conducive to the region they are physically located. Southern El Paso and all of Pueblo, Huerfano, Las Animas, Crowley, and Otero counties will benefit greatly from continuity of having the center portion of the state all represented in one district. Today Pueblo and Huerfano Counties are a part of the Western Slope 3rd Congressional District which is about as far away from proper congressional representation as it can get. These two counties were victims of gerrymandering in 1982 and with this redistricting in 2022 creates an opportunity to undo that gross violation of these counties’ rights and representation. One last thing, we did not include Bent, Prowers and Baca counties because they may feel more represented by the districts that involve the Great Plains (currently the 4th Congressional District), however if those constituents wish rejoin(they were part of this district prior to the GOP gerrymandering of 1982) the revised 3rd congressional district or if you wish to designated South-Central Colorado as the 8thCongresssial district, they are very welcome to be a part of our representation. Since 1982 not one major federal program has been based in South-Central Colorado while El Paso County and the Western Slope has enjoyed many benefits from Congressional action. This was done because of political consideration and not proper congressional representation. Please make this a priority of your commission to create a congressional district consisting of South-Central Colorado. Thank You Thomas McKenna, Citizens of True Southern Colorado, Pueblo 81008

Chaffee County is a small rural, mountain county (approximately 20,000 people) which values small family ranches and farms and the public lands which make up about 80% of the county’s land mass. The current CO Senate District 5 including Chaffee, Lake, Gunnison, Eagle, Pitkin, Hinsdale, and Delta is a good fit for Chaffee County. These counties also share the same rural values. In addition to ranching and farming, tourism is a big economic driver. Chaffee should remain in this rural senate district. Chaffee County is currently in CO House District 60. However, I feel House District 61 would better serve Chaffee County. HD 61 currently includes Lake, Pitkin, Summit, Gunnison and Delta. These nearby rural counties have similar geography and share the same needs and values as Chaffee. HD 61 is also made up of counties with ranching, farming and recreational centered businesses. -As a long-time resident, I believe the shared interests include: Loving and supporting family ranches and farms Working to keep open spaces open Valuing and enjoying the mountains and rivers in the county Enjoying living and working in small towns -Some of the community public policy concerns include: Keeping water in our valleys Building affordable housing Needing broadband and other technologies Preventing wild fires Hiring pre-k through high school teachers and administrators Adding higher education in rural areas Keeping our public lands from being loved to death by outside visitors Building and maintaining schools Maintaining and expanding medical services Maintaining hundreds of rural roads Providing and maintaining public transportation -Chaffee County’s geography includes: Federal and state lands are 80% of the lands in the county Small ranches and farms in the valley The Sawatch Mountain Range, including 12 of the Fourteeners Rural and backcountry areas The Arkansas River Three high mountain passes, Trout Creek, Monarch and Cottonwood -The last thing the commissioners should remember is Chaffee County should be placed with other Colorado rural and mountainous counties in Senate District 5 and Colorado House District 61.

My recommendation is that the redistricting commission should attempt to draw districts so that they align with major watershed boundaries. I am a resident of Fort Collins and am very interested in redistricting. I think that minimizing gerrymandering (a goal of the redistricting commission), adopting national popular vote (as Colorado has done), and providing easy access to voting for Colorado's citizens (such as by mail, which Colorado already does) is key to ensuring that every citizen's vote counts in elections can trust elections. Colorado's use of a redistricting commission is another way to demonstrate the State's commitment to democracy. I am a professional that works with spatial data and provides GIS software solutions through the nonprofit Open Water Foundation (OWF). My communities of interest primarily involve people and organizations working on water and other natural resources issues. I have served on the Fort Collins Water Board and currently serve on the Poudre Runs Through It work group, which focuses on the Poudre River. Because water touches everything, communities of interest related to water also tend to intersect other important topics, such as land use, population growth, climate change, etc. I am also a small business owner and am interested in issues such as health care, regulations, infrastructure (roads, broadband), etc. I am also the parent of four children and am interested in education, affordable housing, public safety, and student debt. These topics are of concern to broader communities of interest including business owners and parents. Providing public services to all citizens of Colorado is important. John Wesley Powell proposed after the Civil War that political boundaries should align with watershed boundaries (see: https://thebioregionalist.com/biography/the-united-watershed-states-of-america-a-biography-of-john-wesley-powell/). This was, however, not widely adopted and many Colorado counties and legislative districts instead follow longitude and latitude lines, although still irregular. Some counties do follow watershed boundaries. Multiple interstate compacts are in place to govern the management and use of water and other resources (see: https://ballotpedia.org/Interstate_compacts_by_state#Colorado). Colorado is the headwaters state and water is fundamental to life in the arid west. Cities tend to be near water and consequently there are geographic tendencies towards placing people (and voters) in watersheds. My recommendation is that the redistricting commission should attempt to draw districts so that they align with major watershed boundaries. This will allow representatives that serve those districts to best represent the interests of their constituents as driven by fundamental issues related to water (agriculture, environment, recreation, business, growth, housing cost, drought, climate change, etc.). I also believe that districts for a majority of the state should balance urban and rural interests, rather than polarizing those interests. People need opportunities to work together to solve problems. I realize that large urban areas may not be able to include much rural area but I hope that at least some districts can include both in a balanced way. The following maps, created by the Open Water Foundation, illustrate how political boundaries intersect water. http://poudre.openwaterfoundation.org/latest/#/map/entities-legislative (State Senate and House districts in relation to Poudre Basin - these are not federal districts) http://poudre.openwaterfoundation.org/latest/#/map/entities-counties (counties related to Poudre Basin, with graphs of population) http://poudre.openwaterfoundation.org/latest/#/map/entities-roundtables (major river basins used for water administration) I recommend that for districting purposes the commission review the Water District boundaries available from the Colorado Division of Water Resources (see: https://cdss.colorado.gov/gis-data/gis-data-by-category), water basin roundtables (see above), and perhaps the Hydrologic Unit Code basins from the United States Geological Survey. I also recommend that the work of the commission is published in open source fashion to allow the public to review and reproduce results. For example, use GitHub, the State's Colorado Information Marketplace, or other platforms to publish data and information. The Open Water Foundation also develops open source GIS software tools, including tools that are free to download and use. I am interested in trying to reproduce the redistricting commission's analysis to demonstrate that districts are in fact fair and balanced. Colorado can be an example of how to use data and science to support good government.

Chaffee County is a small rural mountain county which values small family ranches and farms and the public lands which account for about 80% of the county’s land mass. Chaffee County (approximately 20,00 people) needs to be returned to the 3rd Congressional District where it was prior to 2004. Presently, the 3rd Congressional District shares the same rural and agricultural interests, mountainous geography, and vast public lands similar to Chaffee County. -As a long-time resident, I believe the shared interests include: Prioritizing and supporting family ranches and farms Working to keep open spaces open Valuing and enjoying the natural resources in the county: Browns Canyon National Monument Arkansas River that runs through the heart of the valley Arkansas River State Park Beautiful mountains and valley view scapes Pike-San Isabel National Forest Bureau of Land Management Four Mile Area and more Buena Vista and Salida River Parks Monarch Ski Area Enjoying living and working in a small town -Over the past several decades, Chaffee County voted to raise taxes addressing the following public policy issues to: Keep water in the valley Prevent wild fires Keep the view scape rural Work with federal and state agencies over recreational issues Build and maintain new schools Expand the hospital and medical care facilities -Chaffee is very rural with federal and state lands making up 80% of the lands. The county includes: The Sawatch Mountain Range, including 12 of the Fourteeners Rural and backcountry areas The Arkansas River Three high mountain passes, Trout Creek, Monarch and Cottonwood Hundreds of miles of rural roads The Continental Divide is the western boundary. Park County and Big Horn Sheep Canyon are the eastern and southern boundaries Lake County (Leadville) shares a northern boundary with Chaffee. -The commissioners should know the citizens of Chaffee County strongly support a return to the 3rd Congressional District. Ten years ago, many residents (including myself) from both political parties and all walks of life testified at the redistricting hearings, in support of having Chaffee County returned to the 3rd Congressional District. Regrettably, our voices were not heard. Our shared interests, public policy concerns, and geography make us compatible with other mountainous, rural and recreation centered counties, such as Lake & Gunnison, that are currently in the 3rd Congressional District. We are asking that our voices be heard this time. Remove Chaffee County from the 5th Congressional District and return us to the 3rd Congressional District.

We are residents of Roxborough Park. The community is bordered by C470 to the North, Roxborough State Park to the South, Highway 85 to the East and the Pike National Forest and Wadsworth Blvd. to the West. To begin, we strongly feel that the current alignment between our community and Castle Rock and communities to our South has changed significantly(and continues to change at an accelerated pace) over the past several years. Currently it is clear that we have much more in common with the Highlands Ranch community located to the Northeast of us. We believe this change is evidenced by the fact that: We are are closer in physical proximity to Highlands Ranch than Castle Rock; Highlands Ranch is where the Roxborough middle and high school students attend school; Highlands Ranch is where most of our residents shop, bank and go for medical treatment. Roxborough Park shares may common interests: elementary schools, parks and trails, Douglas County public services, and limited shopping to suggest a few. Our concerns are for preserving our environment and natural resources, safety and schools. In a period of high regional development we are also concerned about traffic noise and pollution. We strongly urge you t consider Roxborough's strengthening relationship to the Highlands Ranch community. Thank you. See link to Map https://districtr.org/COL/18610

I am writing to request that the commission create two fully rural districts from our now 8 seats in Congress. Agriculture is one of the predominant industries in Colorado and deserves to have representation as such. These two districts should consist of the western slope and the eastern plains, including Weld County. These areas are communities of interest, due to their focus on agriculture and energy production, and each have been traditionally recognized as such. Our voice is diluted when agricultural areas are combined with urban/suburban areas, since these two entities have extremely different ways of looking at questions of regulation, taxation, land use, or commerce.

I'd like to associate my comments with those for former State Rep. and Weld Co. Com. Bill Jerke. Here are my comments which, in substance, agree with his: A new CD 4 should delete Longmont (Boulder Co.) and Douglas County and add Larimer County. The combination of Douglas Co. with E. CO was a mistake 10 years ago as their communities are very different. Northeast Colorado is a good community of interest that includes the population centers of Weld and Larimer Counties, then extends east to the Nebraska border. Additional counties can be added that follow the S. Platte Valley. These include with Morgan, Logan and Sedgewick. Additional counties like Phillips and Washington are added as needed. This keeps the Northern Conservancy district and the farming areas of the S. Platte watershed together. The idea is that everything N. of roughly I-70 (excluding Metro Denver) is included in the new CD 4. Counties S. of I-70 can be in another CD more representative of SE Colorado and the S. Front Range which is more "Dryland" farming and ranching. Northern Colorado Leg. Districts. Larimer Co. may be a near perfect fit now for 4 full Representatives. It could simply drop out the Windsor portion of HD 49 and be wholly within Larimer Co. State Rep. Districts should be wholly within one county if possible. Weld Co. should have 3 Rep. districts wholly in the county, and 1 Rep. district that is shared to the East with either Logan or Morgan County. An Eastern Weld/Morgan or Logan district is a good community of interest. It would resemble the current Senate district, but smaller. A Southwestern Weld district makes sense because of population increases and their like communities. Greeley, Evans, Johnstown, Milliken and Windsor could be redistricted into two districts one competitive and one clearly GOP leaning. For the State Senate, Weld Co. is very close to perfect in size for 2 Senators without any other Counties involved. Also, I wish to state that the Energy industry (oil and gas production) should be considered a community of interest for Colorado. It is very important to Weld Co. and several other counties that have production in the DJ Basin, and also on the western slope. In fact, The DJ is a top energy producing area for the US, and significantly contributes to US energy independence. Redistricting decisions should consider this important source of economic development and jobs. Respectfully, Thomas Bearden

As a resident of Weld County I'm concerned about future redistricting and firmly believe that community of interest should be a driving force. It seems to me that Larimer County and Weld County are going separate ways and are less and less a community of interest. There is little or no community of interest between Boulder County and Weld County. Therefore I believe a Congressional District that includes Weld County should probably follow the watershed to the east. It appears to me that the Western Slope has it's own unique community of interest and should make up one Congressional District although there might not be enough population to do so.

I am a resident of Roxborough Park. The greater Roxborough community generally exists within the borders of C-470 to the North; Hwy 85 to the East, the southern border of Roxborough State Park to the South; and the Pike National Forest & Wadsworth to the West. Many shared interests unite our community including our primary and intermediate (elementary) schools, Roxborough Marketplace, community parks, hiking trails, and the Roxborough Library among others. High among our public policy concerns are safety, protection of wildlife and the natural environment, schools, growth and traffic. I urge you to consider Roxborough’s strong connections to the Highlands Ranch community. Before ThunderRidge High School and Ranch View Middle School opened in the mid-1990s, children from Roxborough attended upper grades in Castle Rock. However, since ThunderRidge and Ranch View opened (in 1996) and our primary and intermediate schools are now aligned with the ThunderRidge feeder, our community is drawn more to Highlands Ranch than Castle Rock. Additionally, --Highlands Ranch is where we shop, go for medical treatment, and do our banking. --Highlands Ranch is where our social connections are strongest since that is where our children attend middle and high school. --The Roxborough community has a more suburban (vs. rural) vibe due to the substantial growth in the south metro area over the last two decades. --We are 14 miles from Highlands Ranch and 22 miles from Castle Rock. Our closer proximity to Highlands Ranch makes it a more natural adjacent community. Roxborough no longer aligns with Castle Rock and communities to our south as may have been the case years ago. Our connections are strongest directly east of us in Highlands Ranch. See attached map for details.

Dear Colorado Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Commissions, Hello, my name is Dan Lang and my zip code is 80304. Below you will find my public comment submission to Colorado’s Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Commissions. I live in Boulder. I understand my public comment will inform the creation of preliminary congressional and state legislative maps. It is my view that every person's vote counts. The drawing of fair districts is important to the goal of insuring that everyone's vote counts. Redistricting must be scrupulously fair. This means all meetings, hearing and discussions about redistricting must be open to the public and properly noticed that citizens are aware of same. Gerrymandering hurts democracy and every citizen; even those who favor and benefit from it are hurt. I favor a criteria- driven civil servant approach which allows citizens to draw districts that accord with recognized principles of fairness and meet statutory criteria. In addition, although it is not directly on point, I suggest that Colorado adopt ranked voting. I have read about it and I believe that it forces candidates to explain to citizens how they agree, as well as disagree, on issues, to find common ground instead of adhering to the extreme official positions of their parties. Thank you for taking the time to read my public comment. Sincerely, dan lang Boulder, CO 80304 (submitted by email 5/14/2021)