The Legislature on the final day of the 81st session, Monday, May 31, 2021, in Carson City.
Photo: David Calvert / The Nevada Independent
By The Associated Press
Friday, October 8, 2021
Nevada lawmakers tasked with planning for the state's redistricting and reapportionment process convened for the first time on Thursday and designed a plan to seek public input and use mapping tools to redraw the state's political maps.
The committee, which contains four Democrats and two Republicans, plans to hold educational meetings throughout the state in October, hitting large cities, small towns and tribal areas. Afterwards, lawmakers are expected to convene in November for a special legislative session to redraw congressional and legislative districts.
The Nevada Legislature meets every other year and, in past decades, has tried to redraw its maps during scheduled sessions. Due to the pandemic, the U.S. Census Bureau did not send data that states use to redraw maps until September, five months after lawmakers adjourned in Carson City.
Nevada's redistricting process will be governed by Democrats, who maintain the governorship and majorities in both the state Senate and Assembly. Nevada added 404,000 new residents over the past decade, with urban areas — particularly the Las Vegas metro — outpacing rural areas in population growth. How lawmakers redraw the maps could sway Nevada's two swing congressional districts and influence the composition of the statehouse for the next decade.
