State lawmakers have set a self-imposed deadline of November to develop new lines, followed by an official vote during next year's budget session. It's a tricky process, though, as legislators must account for shifts in population with splitting "communities of interest."
A 1983 U.S. Supreme Court decision also mandates that each legislative district fall within 10 percent of the "ideal", which equals 18,788 people for each Senate district and 9,394 people for House districts this year. So, districts must be sketched to accommodate those numbers, further complicating the debate.
One suggestion has been giving local officials -- county commissioners and clerks -- the authority to draw district boundaries. But that was met with tepid response from all sides, according to the Gazette.
For the moment, the redistricting process sits at a standstill with each side worried it stands to lose under the other's plan. "You move us into these bigger counties, and I guarantee we will get eaten alive," one state senator told the Gazette, while another acknowledged: "Something has to give."
