Wyandotte County officials urge Kansas Legislature to reject redistricting map

More than 60 miles from Topeka — where lawmakers may or may not override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto over the proposed congressional redistricting map — Wyandotte County residents, local officials and community activists urged Republican lawmakers to keep Kelly’s veto intact and draw a new map.

On Thursday, Kelly rejected the map, which would split Wyandotte County — Kansas’ most diverse county — into two districts. The map is called “ad astra,” reflecting the state’s motto.

Judy Ancel, president of the Cross Border Network, a Kansas City based organization, was among several speakers who spoke at the Community Health Council of Wyandotte County in downtown Kansas City, Kansas.

“Ad Astra, we’re told, means ‘To the stars’” she said. “Well this map is out of this world.”

She held a photocopy of the map and another was displayed on a projector screen for all to see. The one on the projector showed how the map impacted Wyandotte County. The north side of the county would be in the 2nd District, which is represented by Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner. The south side of the county would be in the 3rd District, represented by Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation.

Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article258051948.html