Democratic and rural districts may be affected by redistricting decision

SALT LAKE CITY — One of the first votes by the legislative committee charged with redrawing boundary lines for state House, Senate and congressional districts is likely to impact seats held by Democrats and in rural Utah.

Members of the Redistricting Committee decided Wednesday to lower the population deviation for legislative seats from the plus or minus 4 percent used 10 years ago to 3.5 percent. That's a difference of about 360 people in each of the House's 75 districts.

The acceptable difference in population for what will be Utah's four congressional districts beginning with the 2012 election remains the same, plus or minus 0.5 percent.

The proposal to change the formula for reapportioning legislative seats according to the results of the 2010 Census came from the committee's co-chairman, Rep. Kenneth Sumsion, R-American Fork.

"I think the smaller boundary just constrains us a little more, so we focus on the most important principle, one person, one vote," Sumsion said, even though that means its even more likely communities will be broken up.

"When I look at my area and some other areas of the state, it will be impossible to maintain city boundaries," Sumsion said, without a higher deviation than has been held up by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The same goes for efforts to keep other types of communities together in a single district — apparently including Democrats and rural Utahns.

"There are also lots of other interest groups within the state that would like to have districts drawn to help them get more representation," Sumsion said. "To a large extent, we have to be blind to some of those interest groups as much as possible."

Watchdog organizations, including members of the unsuccessful petition drive to establish an independent redistricting commission, have called for new boundaries drawn along city and county lines wherever possible to keep communities together.

Another committee member, Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said tighter limits on the differences in sizes of districts would have the biggest effect on the House — and Democrats.

"House districts are smaller and it takes more flexibility as we are trying to maintain communities of interests," Waddoups said.

It's harder on Democrats, he said, because the Salt Lake area traditionally dominated by the minority party has had less growth and stands to lose seats.