Agenda - Council Work Session - 02/22/2022

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CC Work Session 2. 1. Meeting Date: 02/22/2022 Information Title: Update Regarding Redistricting Purpose/Background: Anoka County Elections Manager, Mr. Paul Linnel will be on hand to provide an overview of the redistricting process,what has been done so far and what is left to complete. Paul will be happy to answer questions that may arise. Mr. Len Linton, Civil Engineer IV,will assist with GIS and mapping questions. Redistricting is the process of redrawing boundaries of election districts to ensure that the population of each district is equally distributed for political representation. This process begins once the federal census is completed every 10 years. Using data from the 2020 Census,new boundaries will be determined that reflect population growth and shifts over the past decade and create new boundaries so each district has roughly the same number of people. City governments must reestablish all precincts after state redistricting. This could be a routine process of verifying that existing precinct boundaries meet legal requirements and then reconfirming those boundaries. The city could also determine that existing precincts do not meet the requirements in law,particularly if new legislative or congressional districts have split existing precincts. Cities may also find this to be a good time to realign precincts to eliminate precincts split by school districts, adjust, add, or remove precincts to accommodate population changes, or to change polling places. Cities with wards must redistrict ward boundaries to ensure compliance with ward population equality and other legal requirements. This may involve reestablishing existing wards or drawing new ward boundaries. It is now time for the City to reestablish ward and precinct boundaries based on population shifts throughout the City. The City must complete boundary establishment work in time for the March 29 deadline. Candidate filing begins May 17 and,New ward and precinct boundaries will be in effect for the state primary election in August. Based on data from the 2020 census,Ramsey's population grew from 23,668 residents to 27,646 residents -a 17% increase since the 2010 census. Redistricting will help re-balance the population in each of Ramsey's wards,which should include approximately 6911 residents per ward with a maximum deviation of 5%. Wards are portions of a city represented by a specific elected official on the city council and must be as equal in population as possible. As you know, as outlined in City Charter the Ramsey Council includes seven elected officials, one from each of the City's four wards,two serving at-large and the Mayor also elected at-large. Different from wards,precincts are geographical areas used for elections and help determine where a resident votes and who and what is on a voter's ballot. Votes are tallied and reported by precincts throughout the country. Once ward boundaries are determined,precincts will be identified or reestablished. Any changes that occur to voting precincts and polling places will be shared with voters. As an added note, as development and redevelopment occurs throughout the City it will be very important to include public spaces where possible to ensure sufficient polling places are available going forward. A Redistricting link will be added to the Elections page to share information on redistricting and it will include links to the Secretary of State's Office and the Minnesota Legislature. Key points to consider as we move through this process: 1. It is Important to focus on equal representation in all levels of government 2. A jurisdiction split by legislative or congressional districts, during redeistricting,will need to adjust its precinct boundaries (M.S. 204B.14)