Idaho: Same, Same but Different
See how an "independent" redistricting commission may fall flat.
Topline Takeaways
Republicans keep Idaho’s congressional districts largely the same. The only shift was in Ada county where the 2nd district saw its western boundary move to include more of the Boise metro area.
An alternative proposed map could have created equal population districts without crossing county-level boundaries like state law recommends.
New District Breakdown
Who’s In Control?
Idaho’s congressional district map is proposed, debated and selected by the Idaho Independent Redistricting Commission. (The final map selected by the redistricting commission must then be approved by the Secretary of State.) While the intent for the redistricting commission is to produce fair, non-partisan maps, the procedure for nominating commissioners to the six-seat board is nakedly political. The members are chosen according to the following process:
One member is appointed by the majority leader of the Idaho State Senate.
One member is appointed by the minority leader of the Idaho State Senate.
One member is appointed by the majority leader of the Idaho House of Representatives.
One member is appointed by the minority leader of the Idaho House of Representatives.
The chairs of the state's two largest political parties each appoint one member.
No member of the commission can be a sitting elected or appointed official while serving.
Since each of the two political parties gets to handpick their representatives, the “independent” commission is more of a quasi-political body. It should be of no surprise that the two commissioners who voted against the adopted map were chosen by Democrats.
The adopted map splits Ada county, with the most of Boise falling into ID-2 (highlighted in Yellow on the map above) and the western reaches of the county holding towns like Meridian (highlighted in blue) still fall into ID-1. Despite a state requirement to avoid splitting counties when redistricting unless deemed necessary, Ada county has been split between the two districts for decades. The adopted map continues this tradition by moving the new border even further west to accommodate for recent population growth in the Boise metro region.
A major point of opposition in adopting the new map concerned one of the alternative proposals favored by Democratic appointees. This alternative (pictured above) could have created equal population districts without dissecting the state’s most populous county. This alternative relied on a new north-south split for the districts, upending the previous east-west dynamic that Idaho’s map has followed for decades. Regardless, the new congressional map maintains two heavily Republican districts; an inevitability for one of the most right-leaning states in the nation today.
Leftover Links
Hear from a member of the redistricting commission on what it was like taking part in this once-in-a-decade process.
Three lawsuits have been filed against the redistricting commission and all focus on the state’s legislative maps rather than the congressional map.