This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Appropriately, lawmakers kicked off Thanksgiving week with the task of carving Utah into four congressional districts.
The Legislature's Redistricting Committee has a mathematically mind-numbing and hyper-politicized task ahead in slicing up the state's three congressional districts to include a possible fourth.
Utah stands to gain a fourth U.S. House seat as part of a deal in Congress that would give the District of Columbia its first voting congressional representative.
"Our principal goal is to put forth a plan that is equitable in its distribution," said Rep. Dave Clark, House chairman of the committee. "It needs to be legally defensible."
Members of the committee are working in two "war rooms" equipped with computers that crunch census figures, draw maps and immediately calculate what Clark calls the "domino effect" of any change in district boundaries.
The panel hopes to endorse a four-district map by tonight to be debated at a series of public meetings around the state scheduled through the end of the month.
The districts must meet constitutional provisions, encompass equal populations (about 560,000 residents in each district) and, as much as possible, not reflect partisan politics.
No political data has been loaded in the computers and the committee adopted a rule to not discuss political issues at its meetings or with the staff. "I know it will be difficult for us to keep those discussions from becoming partisan. But we are trying," Clark said.
Lawmakers agreed last week to pursue a fourth seat in the lame-duck session of Congress that begins Dec. 4. Utah's bid is tied to a voting seat for D.C. The state's likely Republican seat would balance D.C.'s Democratic seat.
Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, wondered what Washington insiders thought about Utah's chances of getting the seat. "It's all over the map, senator," replied committee Senate Chairman Curt Bramble. "It's really very difficult to say with any degree of certainty if it will happen or not happen."
The committee started Monday morning with four maps, including a map approved in 2001 when Utah came close to getting the fourth seat. By early afternoon the number of suggested maps had risen to 10, Clark said. Most of the maps call for Salt Lake County, where most Utah Democrats reside, to be divided at least three ways.
"With such a large population concentrated in Salt Lake County, it is very difficult to do it in two parts," Clark said. "Every possible division into four districts will be considered."
At least one map, drawn Monday by Democratic members of the committee, offers a solution that only divides the county between two districts.
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has promised that he will veto any map that is not politically equitable. He earlier suggested a map that would divide Salt Lake County between two districts, but it was not among the panel's initial offerings.
"We are allowing the Legislature to do its work," said Huntsman spokesman Mike Mower. "But the governor will have the final say. Our goal is to make sure it is fair."
What's next?
* The Legislature's Redistricting Committee hopes to settle on a four-district map today. Then the map will be presented in public hearings beginning Monday.
* The full Legislature will vote on the plan before Dec. 4.
http://www.le.state.ut.us/asp/interim/Commit.asp?Year=2006&Com=SPERDT">Links to images of maps under consideration