Wed November 24, 2021

By Shelly B Short

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Board of Apportionment Meets to Consider the Adoption of Arkansas House and Senate Maps

Arkansas Politics Politics Hutchinson Appointments
Board of Apportionment Meets to Consider the Adoption of Arkansas House and Senate Maps

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 24, 2021

LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson as Chairman of the Board of Apportionment has recalled a meeting of the Board.

The Board will gather Monday, November 29 at 10:30 a.m. in the Old Supreme Courtroom. The Board will be reconvening to consider the adoption of Arkansas State and House districts. The meeting comes after the Board proposed maps to the public for an additional 30 days of public comment.

Governor Hutchinson first gathered the Board in May to analyze the incoming 2020 Census data in order to determine districts for the general assembly. They then reconvened in June to hold an executive session to consider and evaluate a redistricting coordinator.

In October, the Board met to consider proposed maps and open them to allow for public comment for 30 days.

To improve the transparency of the Board of Apportionment, a set of interactive proposed House and Senate district maps were put on the Board of Apportionment's website.

The maps allowed the public to input their home address and see street-level detail of the proposed districts. Any comments made were then added to the public record.

About the Process
The Board of Apportionment, consisting of the Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General, was created in 1936 by Amendment 23 to the Arkansas Constitution. Over the past few months, the Board has been redrawing 100 House and 35 Senate districts so that each district meets various legal criteria including each district being about the same size in population. This redistricting is required by law once every 10 years after the Federal Census. The Board of Apportionment only "redistricts" the Arkansas House and Senate (Legislative Seats), not Congressional Seats - that is the responsibility of the Arkansas General Assembly.

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