Utahns now can sketch their own proposed boundaries for congressional seats, legislative districts and Utah School Board positions, thanks to an online mapping tool on the Legislature's Redistricting Committee website that leaders describe as among the first for states.

"It is new and unusual," John Cannon, managing policy analyst for the committee, said. "We are aware of some cities and counties that have done that before, and we have looked at their sites as we designed ours. But we haven't seen other states do it. We may be one of a few, or just one alone."

The website is RedistrictUtah.com. Those interested in drawing maps must register online.

"I think it is fairly self-explanatory," Cannon said. "There are a lot of online helps."

The mapping gadget comes just days before the committee is scheduled to hold field hearings statewide.

The committee requires citizens and groups who submit plans for consideration, however, to follow the same rules that the committee itself must follow. That includes submitting only plans that cover the entire state, not just one small local area.

Rep. Ken Sumsion, R-American Fork, House chairman of the committee, has said that although it is easy to draw a nice looking district around any local area, the difficulty comes in dividing the entire state into equal-population districts that protect the one-person, one-vote rule. That process may force residents to split some areas in ways that are unpopular.

If citizens use the mapping tool to see how difficult the process is themselves, Sumsion said, they may be more understanding and add more valuable insight to the debate.

RedistrictUtah.com contains maps that have been proposed so far — such as a Sumsion proposal to split Salt Lake County into four parts. That plan, Sumsion said, would ensure that "all four congressional seats represent all the interests of Utah" by combining both rural and urban areas. He characterized the proposal as a way to spur public debate, and isn't tied strongly to it.

But the proposal has generated controversy. Democrats describe it as an attempt to hurt the re-election chances of Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson and say splitting the county four ways would dilute their votes in their one stronghold statewide. They counter that forming one district entirely within that county would create a relatively safe seat for Matheson — and make sense.

Agreeing is the Utah Citizens Counsel, whose members include former GOP Gov. Olene Walker and Chase Peterson, former University of Utah president. The advocacy group has proposed four congressional maps, each of which includes an all-Salt Lake County district. The group says it makes sense to keep as much of that county together as possible as a community of interest.

RedistrictUtah.com also contains another map Sumsion submitted at a meeting in Lehi that would center one congressional district in Utah County (along with a slice of southern Salt Lake County). Sumsion said that may protect Utah County as a community of interest.

The online mapping tool comes after an unexpectedly long delay. When the committee first met on April 25, members said it would arrive "soon." Officials hoped residents would be able to post proposals online before field hearings began on May 20. But contract negotiations with the contractor delayed delivery, Cannon said.

The committee plans to offer demonstrations of the tool at four field hearings it is holding this weekend. Eleven other field hearings are scheduled later statewide. The full schedule is available on RedistrictUtah.com.

ldavidson@sltrib.com —

Redistricting 101

The Redistricting Committee will conduct mapping tutorials this week to show residents how to draw their own proposed boundaries for congressional seats, legislative districts and Utah School Board positions.

Friday • Tutorials start at noon at Snow College's Eccles Center for the Performing Arts, 300 E. Center St. in Ephraim; and at 6 p.m. at Snow College's Richfield Campus Administration Building, 800 W. 200 South in Richfield.

Saturday • Tutorials start at 10 a.m. at Southern Utah University's Hunter Conference Center Great Hall, 351 W. University Blvd. in Cedar City; and at 3 p.m. at the Dixie College's Eccles Fine Arts Center, 225 S. 700 East in St. George. —

More online

O Map your own districts online at www.RedistrictUtah.com