Friends and neighbors,
This year is an exciting one for Minnesota! Following the census which was completed last year, Minnesota is now in the process of redistricting (redrawing the boundaries of election districts), to ensure people of each district are equally represented. Over the past ten years, the districts that started nearly equal in population have now become uneven and need to be re-balanced through Redistricting.
Our state’s congressional and state legislative lines are drawn by us in the legislature We have to follow important criteria to ensure compliance with the US and MN Constitutions and state law. As the Vice Chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee, I am committed to ensuring a fair and transparent redistricting process.
History of Redistricting
Between the 1850 census (just before MN became a state in 1958) and the 1950 census, legislative redistricting was not completed on a regular cycle following the every-ten-year- census like it is today. After the 1950 census, redistricting was regularly completed every decade following a national census. In the early half of the 1900s, the courts decided cases affecting redistricting, and became much more involved following the 1950 census and continue to be involved today. In Minnesota, redistricting is done every 10 years by the legislature to adjust for population increases, decreases, and geographical shifts.
The Minnesota State Constitution states, “The representation in both houses shall be apportioned equally throughout the different sections of the state in proportion to the population thereof.”
New Population Findings
Following last year’s 2020 census, it was found that Minnesota’s population grew about 7% between 2010 and 2019, adding about 376,412 residents to our state. There has been much growth in the Twin Cities, but what is most exciting is the growth in our more rural areas of Minnesota. Four of the five fastest-growing counties since 2010 were outside the immediate Twin Cities, including Carver, Scott, Olmsted, and Wright Counties.
Interestingly, Minnesota’s population is continuing to age with nearly 77% of our population being over the age of 18, while the under-18 population lagged at only 2.6%, indicating Minnesotans are having children at lower rates than in 2010. Our state is also becoming more diverse, with Black Minnesotans increasing nearly 2% in population and White Minnesotans dipping nearly 8% in the population.
How This Impacts Your District
Once district lines are redrawn, there could be modest shifts at the State Capitol. As the only split legislature in the nation, Minnesota legislators will have to work together to equalize representation in our state, regardless of party.
Estimated populations within metropolitan districts show there are too many people in the current districts and need to shrink, while a few greater Minnesota districts have the opposite problem – they’ve lost people and need their boundaries to grow. One issue that concerns many is the fairness of how these lines are drawn, some worrying about gerrymandering for the benefit of one party over the other. Our state is unique in a way because of our split legislature and our geographical differences in political opinions – with the DFL mostly being centered in the Twin Cities while Republicans are spread throughout rural Minnesota. It will be imperative to draw the lines fairly based on the numbers and keep Minnesotans’ trust in the process.
Redistricting is a job requiring true cooperation between the Senate, House, and Governor, and if we are unable to agree like in 2010, the Supreme Court will take over. I am a firm believer that we can come together for Minnesotans and ensure they are appropriately represented at the Capitol. That is our job, after all.
If you have any questions regarding the redistricting process or any other legislative questions, I encourage you to reach out to my office at any time. I can be reached at Sen.Mary.Kiffmeyer@Senate.MN or you can call me at 651-296-5565.
Sincerely,