Not an easy task, often difficult to understand — redistricting of Colorado’s Senate and House districts is more than a map of our state with boundary lines. How the 65 House of Representatives districts and 35 State Senate districts are drawn is a roadmap to your representation in the State Capitol for the next 10 years.

Let me give you an example close to home. The current roadmap would split Montrose County between Senate District 7 and Senate District 6. my friend and colleague, Sen. Ron Teck of Grand Junction, would represent the west end of Montrose County as well as Mesa County should he be re-elected in 2002. Delta County would be a part of the northernmost counties in western Colorado — Garfield, Rio Blanco, Moffat, Routt and Jackson. Another colleague and most able senator, Jack Taylor, would find himself representing a county outside an area which elected him to office last fall. Both Senators Teck and Taylor have voiced similar concerns regarding the proposed plan.

A bit of background: Under the state constitution, an 11-member commission develops the redistricting plan. The Commission consists of four legislative leaders, three persons appointed by the governor, and four persons appointed by the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. The commission holds hearings around the state before finalizing the plan, which is then submitted to the Colorado Supreme Court.

These hearings are important — critical, in fact, if we are to continue to be a citizen legislature of, for and by the people! Based on the 2000 Census data, an ideal senate district in Colorado will have 122,893 citizens; an ideal house district will have 66,173 citizens. However, by federal and state law the commission must consider more than the census numbers when devising their plan. Counties and cities cannot be split unless necessary to achieve equal population. Further, communities of interest — economic, ethnic, cultural, demographic, trade area and geographic areas are to be preserved within a single district whenever possible.

In my view, the commission has not achieved this balance within the current boundaries. West Montrose County is economically and geographically tied to East Montrose County — not to mention the obvious demographic disparity with the more urbanized Mesa County. Similarly, Delta County is more aligned with southwestern Colorado than the northwest region in Senate District 8. If you go to kayalexander.org, you will find the most current informative available on legislative redistricting.

The first hearing in Western Colorado is to be held in Delta at 6 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the Fireside Restaurant, 820 Highway 92. The schedule for additional hearings will be posted on the Internet shortly. I urge you to take the time and be a part of this important process.

Kay Alexander serves as state representative from House District 58, which includes portions of Montezuma County. She resides in Montrose County and is currently the announced Republican Candidate for Colorado Senate District 6.