The South Dakota Senate and House Legislative Redistricting Committees held a joint meeting today (March 9, 2021) at the State Capitol in Pierre.
Legislative Research Council attorney Matt Frame said a delay in delivering 2020 US Census numbers to the states could cause problems in meeting deadlines for redistricting.
Frame said one of the main problems establishing the revised legislative districts is the quality of the data the US Census Bureau is giving to the states.
Frame said there are a lot of state and federal requirements that have to be followed.
He said some districts will be easy to draw, others will not.
The committees will hold public meetings in October and Senate Redistricting Committee chair District 24 Senator Mary Duvall of Pierre says they plan to make the meetings as accessible to the public as possible.
A simple majority vote in each chamber is required to pass a redistricting plan, which is subject to veto by the governor.
The public meetings are set to be held in Rapid City (Oct. 11 at 8am MT), Mission (Oct. 11 at 3pm CT), Mobridge (Oct. 12 at 8am CT), Aberdeen (Oct. 12 at 1pm CT), Watertown (Oct. 12 at 5pm CT) and Sioux Falls (Oct. 13 at 2pm and 6pm). Specific locations for each meeting have yet to be determined, but the public will be notified once details are known.
Image credit South Dakota Legislative Research Council.
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