Choosing District Partners
In 2020, the Utah Foundation surveyed city officials to understand how they view their communities. Before asking about redistricting, the survey first asked city officials to identify which communities were similar to their own (see post: Redistricting and Similar Communities). The Utah Foundation then asked specifically about redistricting, whether there was a county that officials preferred to have in their district or a country they preferred to NOT have in their district. Generally speaking, city officials preferred district partners that were in counties similar to their own. More specifically, officials from cities in small and mid-sized counties wanted to be partnered with other small and mid-sized counties, not a county located along the Wasatch Front, which are Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah counties. Officials from Wasatch Front counties tended to prefer communities located in Wasatch Front counties.
Please note: Wasatch Front counties are Ogden, Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah.
One additional tidbit: When a city official selected a disfavored county on the Wasatch Front, 70% of the time it was Salt Lake County. Even two city officials inside Salt Lake County reported Salt Lake County as a disfavored district partner.
In the end, smaller Utah communities do not want to be in the same district as a Wasatch Front county – especially not Salt Lake County.
Keep an eye out for three more posts looking at “Local Government Perspectives.”
About the Survey
The Utah Foundation sought to gain a deeper understanding of how local elected officials viewed the redistricting process. We sent out a survey to elected municipal officials (mayors and city council members). This survey was conducted by University of Utah students in collaboration with the Utah Foundation. There are about 250 cities, and more than 700 mayors and city council members. We received 96 respondents. The survey ran from October 23, 2020, to November 12, 2020.
What is Redistricting?
Redistricting is a process in which the government or a commission subdivides an area into different districts that will vote for their representative. Often, this focus is on state-drawn districts for members of the U.S. House of Representatives, but it also applies to state legislatures and state school board districts. There are several general principles to consider in redistricting. One of the most important things is that each district has the same number of people. Contiguity (where all the parts of a district are connected) and compactness (tighter districts are generally considered better than sprawling ones) are also important considerations. There are several additional priorities, including preserving communities of interest, maintaining geographical or man-made boundaries, keeping the core of prior districts, minimizing the division of municipalities and counties, ensuring that boundaries align at different political levels, and prohibiting the purposeful favoring or disfavoring of a party, incumbent, or candidate.
Categories: