Democrats won both rounds at a reapportionment commission meeting Monday, when their maps for some state House and Senate districts were approved with the help of two of the five Republican commissioners.
The three swing districts in the maps considered Monday were in El Paso County, and both maps as approved gave Democrats what they wanted.
Reapportionment happens every decade, as does congressional redistricting, after the census is released. The goal is to ensure that every legislator represents the same number of people.
The Democrats’ Senate map was approved 8-3, with two Republicans in support, and the Democrats’ House map passed 7-4, with one Republican in support. The commission’s unaffiliated chairman, Mario Carrera, sided with Democrats both times.
State Sen. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, called the maps “blatantly partisan.”
Senate Majority Leader John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, countered that the Democratic maps promote competitive districts, including in his own, Senate District 11.
The commission also focused on House Districts 17 and 18, both in El Paso County, now represented by a Republican and a Democrat. Under the Democratic maps, that party would have a significant voter registration advantage in both districts.
