Updated at 6:42 p.m. with comments from Mo. Sen. Jane Cunningham (R, Chesterfield).
New redistricting plans and maps for the Missouri General Assembly have been filed with the Missouri Secretary of State's office.
Redistricting occurs every 10 years, and is based on results from the census. Missouri's most recent census data, with shifts and increases in population, required significant changes to be made.
“We have worked collaboratively to draw maps that comply with the constitution, the Voting Rights Act, and other legal requirements,” Lisa White Hardwick, chair of the Missouri Appellate Apportionment Commission, said in a release.
The St. Louis area has lost a State Senate district. The 7th District is represented by Jane Cunningham (R, Chesterfield) and mainly consists of western St. Louis County. Starting in 2013, it will consist of six counties to the north and west of the metro area and a small portion of St. Charles County. Cunningham says she’ll now run for the 27th District Senate seat, which will include parts of St. Louis and Jefferson Counties.
“I had expected much of this area to be mine anyway, I’ve already been working in many of what would be new areas, and so they know me," Cunningham said. "Our home is in another area, but this is my stomping grounds.”
Cunningham will have to move to a new home in order to live in the new 27th District, which she calls a minor inconvenience. The new State Senate boundaries also have Cunningham’s current home in the same district as fellow Republican Senator John Lamping.
Here are the newly submitted maps for the St. Louis region (click within each to expand and explore):
Missouri House:
St. Louis Area State House Redistricting Map 11/30/2011
Missouri Senate:
Missouri State Senate Apportionment Map St. Louis Area 11/30/2011
- Explore more maps by county etc.
- Read full filings by the Commission on the new House and Senate plans
Details about the differences in population and racial composition of the new plans was outlined in a release from the Commission:
The Senate redistricting plan has an overall difference in population of 7.46% between its largest and smallest districts. The new plan has four African-American majority districts. The House redistricting plan has an overall population difference of 7.80% between its largest and smallest districts. The new plan has 16 African-American majority districts. It also has 2 districts wherein combined racial minority populations comprise a majority. Thus, the House plan has a total of 18 districts where racial minorities constitute a majority of the population.
This is only the second time in Missouri history that a judicial panel has redistricted both bodies of the General Assembly, according to the Commission. The six-member judicial commission took over the task after two bipartisan commissions appointed by the governor were unable to come to agreement on new House and Senate maps earlier this year.
