HELENA – Draft plans for possible ways to redraw Montana’s legislative districts are now posted online at www.leg.mt.gov/districting.
The Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission is required to redraw legislative district lines after each decennial Census. Historically, districting has been used as a tool to give a party a political advantage.
The plans, drafted by commission staff, reflect one of four themes outlined by the five citizen commissioners at their July meeting. The commission will hear more about the plans at its Feb. 17 meeting in Helena. The meeting is 9:30 a.m. in room 152 of the state Capitol.

The changes to the state’s 100 House and 50 Senate districts are to be brought before the state Legislature in 2013 and will not be in place until the 2014 elections. There will be more public meetings in 2011 and 2012, when the commission proposes legislative maps
 The commission has the final say and after adjustments are made, the plan is filed with the Secretary of State’s office. The plan should be finalized by late 2012.
Also posted online are the agenda for the meeting and additional materials, including a one-page document on how to provide public comment on maps to the commissioners; and the draft public hearing schedule for 2012.
The dates, times, and locations are tentative and subject to the approval of the commission at the February meeting.
In addition to reviewing the draft plans, the commission will hear from members of the public and any individual commissioners who have complete plans (100 house districts) that they wish the commission to use at its spring public hearings.
If you want to present a plan at the February meeting, contact commission staff by Feb. 10.
All public comments are copied and distributed to all five commissioners and become part of the permanent public record. Here’s how to contact the commission:

By mail:
Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission
PO Box 201706
Helena, MT 59620-1706

By e-mail:
districting@mt.gov

By fax:
406-444-3036

More information on the commission and its work is available at www.leg.mt.gov/districting.