An early redistricting map of Missouri's Senate seats drawn by Republicans on the state's commission splits Springfield into two districts— but that's likely to change as appointed bipartisan citizens panels continue work on how lines are drawn.
The proposed map, sent by Senate commission chair Marc Ellinger to Democrats, would cut a line through the city, with the west and east halves being consolidated into districts that encompass north Christian County and the rest of Greene County. The proposal is astark departure from the last decade's maps, which has seen the entirety of Springfield in one district and the remainder of Greene County in another.
It would also significantly hamper Democrats, who see encouraging electoral trends in the area but would struggle with their voter base split between two districts. The executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party, Randy Dunn, called the attempted Springfield split "egregious."
"This is a clear sign that (Republicans) are only looking to try to preserve power, over looking out for the needs of communities of interest and ensuring fair and representative maps," Dunn said.
Ellinger did not respond to a request for comment Monday. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported the specifics of the chairman's proposed map Friday.
Proposed Southwest Missouri state Senate map
Current Southwest Missouri state Senate map
Sean Nicholson, the director of Fair Maps Missouri who led a 2018 campaign for redistricting reform called Clean Missouri (which was opposed by Republicans), called the initial map an "outrageous proposal" and an "obvious attempted gerrymander."
Several other redrawn lines would significantly dilute Democratic power in Missouri's higher chamber— including a district that snakes into Clay County in the Kansas City area andseveral tweaks to St. Louis County lines. They would, however, likely gain advantage for a seat in Boone County, which will be wholly contained in one district and driven by a Democratic base in Columbia.
The Missouri Senate currently has 34 seats, ten of which are held by Democrats.
The map as is "would not stand up in court," Nicholson said, pointing to Springfield as an example. Missouri law requires that "as few municipal lines shall be crossed as possible," making any split of the city unlikely to hold up before a judge. Plus, this map is unlikely to earn votes from the 10 Democrats on the 20-person Senate commission— theplan needs 14 'yes' votes to be adopted. If the commission cannot reach an agreement on a map, judges will draw the district lines.
Revisions are already underway on the mapas both the Senate and House panels work toward a January deadline. Lawmakers will meet next year during their annual session to adopt new boundaries for the state's eight congressional districts.
Partisan disagreements dominate panels
Public meetings of the Senate and House citizens commissions have continued to be dominated by partisan dissent and concerns over transparency.
During the Senate committee's most recent meeting last week, Democratic commissioner Michael Frame took issue with all three draft maps on the state's public redistricting website being labeled with the name of Susan Montee, another Democratic commissioner and vice chair.
The third map had been drawn by Ellinger, the Republican chairman, which Frame argued should be reflected in the name of the map for the public's awareness.
"I don't think this is transparency whatsoever," Frame said. "We're changing language and definitions and names that just makes no sense whatsoever."
More:Springfield city council zones could change as soon as next year, as population changes are reviewed
The spat was the latest in a series of arguments and frustrations among the bipartisan commissions. At a meeting in Kirksville last week, members ofthe House commission discussed for over a half hour, at times talking loudly and over each other, about whether an online state portal for taking public testimony should stay open for the duration of the redistricting process— a move that the Senate commission has already approved. The House panel's first meeting in August was derailed by a series of deadlocked partisanvotes on selecting a commission chair.
Nicholson said the partisanship he's seen from the commissions has been "even worse than he expected."
"There has been a lot of head-scratching behavior," he said."There have been commissioners being rude and mean to members of the public. It has not been great."
Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com,(573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.
