DENVER – As California Governor Gavin Newsom calls on Democratic leaders to consider redistricting, Colorado’s options are limited by the state constitution.
Newsom recently signed two redistricting bills that will allow California voters to decide if the state should redraw congressional maps and give Democrats five more seats to counter Texas Republicans’ decision to redraw their state congressional maps.
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Colorado’s constitution only allows one round of redistricting every 10 years, and changes to the law would require a repeal of a constitutional amendment.
In a statement to Denver7, a spokesperson for Governor Polis said:
“Governor Polis is focused on the special session, which is addressing the devastating fiscal impacts of HR1 and closing the tax loopholes Trump, Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd provided to big corporations on the backs of Colorado schools, roads, and health care.
Governor Polis believes Texas Republicans’ ugly gerrymandering is a desperate partisan attempt to help them in their midterms, but if Texas takes this partisan step, it will backfire for them, as Americans see gerrymandering as a major problem.
As Gov. Polis has said many times: This Ain’t Texas — Colorado’s voter-approved Independent Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Commission is in our Colorado Constitution, and adherence to it is not up to the Governor or the legislature’s discretion.”
In 2003, the Colorado Supreme Court rejected a Republican effort to redraw Colorado’s congressional map. At the time, Colorado was a Republican-led state, and the party hoped to pick up more seats.
In 2018, voters approved amendments that established independent commissions to draw congressional and state legislative districts.
According to state officials, the earliest redistricting could be addressed is 2026.
You can read more about Newsom's efforts at this link.
