Redistricting 2021

Share it:
Facebook
Twitter
Email
New state house districts - no more donut!

Check out the new districts on the map below

These maps go into effect for the May 2022 Primaries and November 2022 General Election. For example, if you live in Bend, your new congressional district on the May ballot will be OR-05 and Kurt Schrader will be the incumbent on the ballot (if he runs for reelection). However, you will still be represented by OR-02 (Cliff Bentz) until January 2023 when the general election winners are sworn in.

Toggle the different maps by clicking this icon at the top left of the map area. Then choose Congress, Senate, or House.

View this map in a new window.

Most of you are now in OR-05​

Remember Greg Walden? He retired. But, even if he didn’t, most of Deschutes County would be in a new congressional district starting next year. While we were previously in OR-02, the new district for most is OR-05. Kurt Schrader (D) is the incumbent, but it’s not certain that he would run for the new, broader district. South County and areas east of Bend are still in OR-02. Cliff Bentz (R) is the incumbent.

State House districts moved - no more donut!​

The two main state House districts in Deschutes County were HD 53 and 54 – the donut and donut hole. HD 54 covered most of Bend, while 53 circled it. That’s changed.

The new map still has HD 54 covering most of Bend, but smaller (because there are more people in Bend now!). HD 53 covers the north parts of Bend, extends into the southern half of Redmond, then goes to the western county line, including Sisters and Black Butte. Jason Kropf (D) is the incumbent for HD 54 and Jack Zika (R) for 53. Both are still inside the new districts.

South County and areas east of Bend are part of HD 55, which reaches up from Klamath Falls.

Northeast parts of the County, including northern Redmond and Terrebonne, are in HD 59. That district also includes Madras and Prineville.

State Senate districts shift with the House

One Senate district is comprised of two House districts. The two House districts that represent Bend are both included in the same Senate district – SD 27. (That’s good!)

The Redmond-Prineville-Madras district is combined with the district representing Burns to create a huge SD 30. Just remember, acres don’t vote, people do – and all SDs have pretty much exactly the same number of people, no matter how big they are on the map.

South County gets lumped in with sprawling SD 28, which reaches all the way to Medford and the California border.

New precincts come later

The legislature approved the new voting districts and the governor signed them into law, but what about smaller precincts and local units like school districts? Those will be drawn by county officials using the same Census information used by the state. We had to wait for the state voting lines to be drawn before local precincts and districts can be determined. More soon!

Are these maps final final?

Short answer: Probably. The maps can still be challenged in court ahead of the May 2022 primaries, but there is a narrow window. Peter Wong had a good overview for Oregon Capitol Bureau of the “what’s next” for legal challenges to redistricting.

The legislature can also make amendments in between decennial census years. There are a lot of messy lines that show this round of redistricting was rushed, so those could get cleaned up in upcoming legislative sessions.

More resources on redistricting

Visit Oregon’s official page on redistricting
Browse other maps that were considered, download GIS files, watch video of debate, and more.

Draw your own maps
Even though redistricting is complete, you can still play around with the numbers and draw your own lines using  the legislature’s official mapping tool. (Account required)

See the partisan lean of new districts at the Oregonian
Mark Friesen built a great map showing comparative data and demographics so I don’t have to! Check it out!

View the new maps on Dave’s Redistricting
You can do some light analysis using this free tool.

These maps were prepared for the Deschutes Democrats website. They’re always looking for volunteers, whether building maps online or knocking doors. Learn more and volunteer here.

Eric Lint lives in Bend

Contact | Website | Twitter

Like what you read? Buy the author a coffee.