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Last week the Legislative Service Agency released their first draft of a new redistricting map and Marion County residents seem to have mixed emotions about the new boundaries. Anita Martin, Chair of the Marion County Democratic Party says she likes the proposed plan, so far.
She says her first reactions had to do with the two contested seats pitting members of the same party against each other. She says moving Representative Leonard Boswell into a relatively new district is interesting and says she’ll miss his visits to the local headquarters.
Martin says if approved the new districts would make for an interesting campaign season as many candidates will have the task of finding new constituents in new areas. She says this will likely give some candidates uncertainty of finding “feet on the ground” to run their campaigns in the new counties. Though she says they’ve been through this before and is sure they have been preparing for the redistricting move.
The proposed plan splits Pella and the surrounding area into a different district than the rest of the county, something Martin says will result in more candidates crossing the river to campaign in both communities.
She says the local democratic party is preparing for the new districts and waiting for things to become official so that they can plan accordingly.
Martin suggests that people watch or listen to the debates on the House and Senate floors in Washington DC so that they are informed to make up their own mind based on what they hear. She says though these can be boring, at least you’ll be able to determine which representative or senator has your best interest at heart.