North Dakota redistricting plan would set up hotly contested legislative races, top-level retirement

BISMARCK — A leading proposal to reconfigure North Dakota's political geography would position about a fifth of all state lawmakers in districts with more incumbents than seats in the Legislature, creating the potential for electoral battles between one-time allies and high-profile retirements.

Legislative redistricting, a process that only comes around once a decade, is almost complete. Both chambers of the Legislature this week approved a map with 47 districts of roughly equal population. The plan developed by a Republican-led committee is now destined for Gov. Doug Burgum's desk.

The proposal received strong support among lawmakers, including backing from an influential foursome of House members who would end up in the same district, but not all are pleased with the map that has emerged.

Three rural districts — two in the northeast and one in the southeast — would transform into new districts in the Fargo area, the Williston area and the southwest corner of the state. The shifting lines reflect rural-to-urban migration and enormous Oil Patch population growth over the last 10 years, however the rearrangements would mix about 30 lawmakers into districts where they would have to face fellow incumbents to win reelection.

Read more: https://www.jamestownsun.com/news/government-and-politics/7277675-North-Dakota-redistricting-plan-would-set-up-hotly-contested-legislative-races-top-level-retirements