Sen. Kathleen Taylor (D-Portland), Chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee, and Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Lake Oswego), Co-chair of the House Redistricting Committee, issued a statement following the release of legislative and congressional maps.

“As legislators we are public servants. Our commitment is to Oregonians and our job is to produce fair and representative maps that reflect Oregon’s population growth, align with statutory and constitutional criteria, and ensure public participation. “The maps drawn meet these requirements and the highest of legal standards. The maps are contiguous, of equal population, utilize existing geographic or political boundaries, are connected by transportation links, and reflect the diversity of communities of interest in our state.”

For some Oregonians, the result is both comic and tragic, especially the Congressional districts, which seem constructed to give the Democrat party the advantage. Due to these maps, it is possible that Oregon can send four members of Congress from the city of Portland when Portland -- even the Portland Metro area -- is not nearly 2/3 of the population of the state.

“Despite the delayed Census data and the COVID-19 pandemic, we have prioritized an inclusive and accessible process, open to all Oregonians. As a result, we saw nearly 2,000 pieces of testimony submitted from across the state during 22 public hearings held this year.

The Democrat Committee chairs said, “We look forward to sending these maps to the Legislature for consideration during next week’s Special Session.” The Republicans have an equal number of seats on the House Redistricting Committee and if all Republicans on that Committee vote no the decision would go to Secretary of State Shemia Fagan's office. The special session will begin on Monday, September 20 at 10:00am.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-09-17 09:10:35