N.D. lawmakers to redraw districts

BISMARCK (AP) — North Dakota lawmakers will be redrawing the state’s map of legislative districts this summer and fall.

The job starts Thursday when a legislative interim redistricting committee holds its first meeting.

Grand Forks Sen. Ray Holmberg is the committee’s chairman. He says it will be meeting every two or three weeks until its job is done. The panel has to finish its work by Nov. 1.

North Dakota has 47 legislative districts. The state’s population grew enough during the last decade to add at least two new districts.

But lawmakers want to keep the Legislature at its current size. That means rural districts could get much larger, and rural areas would not have as much influence.

Tags: north dakota, news, redistricting