Bill > SF86

This bill establishes principles for legislative and congressional redistricting in Minnesota. The key provisions include: 1) The legislature must draw the districts and cannot delegate this duty to any other entity; 2) Districts must be substantially equal in population, with legislative districts deviating no more than 0.5% from the ideal and congressional districts being as nearly equal as practicable; 3) Districts must be composed of contiguous territory and be compact where possible; 4) Districts must be numbered in a regular series, with legislative districts starting in the northwest and congressional districts starting in the southeast; 5) The districting plan must not dilute the voting strength of racial or ethnic minorities; 6) Minor civil divisions like counties, cities, and towns should not be unduly divided unless necessary; 7) Districts should attempt to preserve identifiable communities of interest; and 8) The data used for the districting must come from the Legislative Coordinating Commission's Geographic Information Systems Office. The principles are listed in order of priority, except where doing so would violate federal or state law.