Redistricters deadlock 3-3, three times…

Democratic redistricting Commissioner George Moses moved this morning to approve a congressional redistricting plan - starting with a publicly submitted plan that kept all counties whole, and created a new District 2 in the southwest corner of the state, including Ada and Canyon Counties, while the rest of the state is District 1. “The public has done, in many cases, a very good job in meeting the criteria,” Moses said; that plan has a population deviation of .28.  GOP Commissioner Lou Esposito said, “I guess Commissioner Moses is entitled to a vote. We’ve been over all this ground over and over again. We’ve had staff research the fact that congressional districts nationwide have gone to zero deviation, let me repeat that … zero deviation. … If this is the effort by our Democratic colleagues to move this process forward, I’m kinda sitting here scratching my head. … we already have agreement on the record on another plan, only held because of wanting to vote on a legislative plan.”

GOP Commissioner Evan Frasure said, “I appreciate the fact that we’re voting - the only way to find out people’s position is to cast votes. … Hopefully we can salvage a congressional line, hopefully today,” before tomorrow’s 5 p.m. deadline.

The congressional district plan, C-2, then was voted down on a 3-3, party-line vote, with the Democrats in favor and the Republicans against. Moses then moved another publicly submitted plan, C-4, with a deviation of .16 percent; it, again, creates a new District 2 in the southwestern corner of the state, with the rest of the state making up District 1. It too failed on a 3-3 vote, as did C-9, another publicly submitted plan that created a northern District 1 including Ada County, and a southern District 2 including Canyon County.