Arizona redistricting public hearing set for Saturday in Phoenix

PHOENIX – Members of the public can learn more about Arizona’s proposed congressional and legislative maps and provide feedback during a hearing in south Phoenix on Saturday.

The event is part of the 30-day public comment period required by law after the bipartisan Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) approved draft maps for nine congressional and 30 legislative districts in late October.

Saturday’s in-person meeting starts at 10 a.m. at the Kroc Community Center, 1375 E. Broadway Road. There will also be a satellite location at the Florence Community Center at 778 N. Main St. in Pinal County as well as virtual access.

It will be the first session of the public comment period held in Phoenix.

The AIRC has scheduled multiple hearings and town halls at locations throughout the state and virtually through Dec. 4. The full schedule is available on the commission’s website, along with links to participate online for all of the events and other information.

The committee is also accepting feedback via email at ircadmin@azdoa.gov and through an online portal.

Interactive versions of maps and other information about the redistricting process are posted online. The boundaries could still change before the final versions are adopted.

The AIRC was created to redraw district boundaries every 10 years, in conjunction with the U.S. Census, when voters passed Proposition 106 in a 2000 initiative. Previously, it was the Legislature’s task.

The five-member panel is made up of Democrats Derrick Watchman and Shereen Lerner, Republicans Douglas York and David Mehl, and an independent chair who was selected by the partisan members, Chandler psychologist Erika Neuberg.

They started work in September with the creation of grid maps of equal populations to use as starting points. The next phase was to adjust the boundaries based on goals mandated by the Arizona Constitution.

For phase three, the commission met publicly on nine days in October and deliberated over more than seven series of congressional maps and 10 series of legislative maps before settling on the approved drafts.

The committee expects to complete the final phase before the end of the year.

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