Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) on Friday announced who will serve on a state senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Redistricting.
McNally announced the names via an emailed press release.
State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) will chair the committee. State Senate Minority Caucus Chair Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) and State Senate Judiciary Chairman Mike Bell (R-Riceville) will serve as vice-chairs.
“This committee will help ensure my commitment to an open and transparent redistricting process. The Republican-led redistricting process 10 years ago solicited public input for the first time. That precedent will continue this year,” McNally said in the press release.
“Every legislator and every member of the public who wishes will have their voice heard in this process. Public input will help the legislature create a fair and legal plan based on the census numbers provided to us. It is a tough job balancing both our federal and state constitutional mandates, but I believe this committee and the General Assembly is up to the task.”
The remaining state senators appointed to the seven-member committee are:
• Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin)
• Majority Caucus Chairman Ken Yager (R-Kingston)
• Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville)
• Senator John Stevens (R-Huntingdon)
“The committee’s chief responsibilities will be to review the new census data to determine the impact on the current districts. The committee will hold public hearings to outline the redistricting process and inform the public on how they may submit their plan,” the press release said.
“This ad-hoc committee is advisory in nature. During the legislative session next year, redistricting bills will be assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.”
State senators are also offering the public an opportunity to use state-of-the-art software to construct their own redistricting plan. Via the Senate redistricting website, members of the public can access the Senate’s ESRI GIS software to create a map using the new census data. They may import maps created using other software solutions into ESRI for the purpose of submission. Plans must include the whole state, comply with the Tennessee Constitution and the Voting Rights Act, and stay within certain ideal population ranges.
The full list of submission guidelines and training materials are available on the Senate’s redistricting page. Members of the general public must submit maps before Monday, November 22, 2021, the press release said.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
