Des Moines, Iowa — Republicans in Iowa Senate have rejected the first plan for redrawing the boundaries for Iowa’s four congressional districts, 100 Iowa House districts and 50 Iowa Senate districts.
The bill came up for debate in the Iowa Senate early Tuesday afternoon. Senator Roby Smith of Davenport was the only Republican to speak.
Once the bill failed in the Senate, there was no need for House members to take a vote. All 32 Republicans in the Senate voted against the plan. The 18 Democrats voted for it. Senator Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque.
Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, suggests the ultimate goal of Republicans is to get to a third plan which, by law, can be amended by legislators.
Smith, speaking on behalf of Republicans in the senate, says Iowa stipulates that districts resemble, as much as possible, squares, rectangles or hexagons.
Republicans have passed a resolution outlining some of their specific objections to the first plan for redistricting.
By state law, the non-partisan Legislative Committee now has up to 35 days — in the second week of November — to submit a second plan to legislators. Plan 2 for redistricting cannot be amended either. The state constitution requires the new plan for redistricting to be approved by mid-September, but the U.S. Census population data for Iowa didn’t arrive until mid-August — five months late. The Iowa Supreme Court has given the legislature until December 1 to approve a redistricting plan, following the steps outlined in state law for the process.
