Here’s what to know about the redistricting map that would split up Wyandotte County
With both chambers of the Kansas Legislature having voted to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of the GOP-drawn Congressional map that splits Wyandotte County, the redistricting fight shifts to the courtroom.
Opponents of the map have indicated plans to challenge it in federal court, on grounds that the Legislature unlawfully reduced the majority-minority county’s voting power. There is also likely to be a state-level lawsuit, arguing that Republicans violated the rights of Kansans by drawing lines for political benefit.
The Kansas House rejected Kelly’s veto Wednesday on an 85-37 vote, following action by the Senate Tuesday.
States must draw new congressional and legislative lines based on population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The “ad astra” map splits Wyandotte County along Interstate 70 and pairs Lawrence with western Kansas.
Here’s what to know about the map and how it impacts Wyandotte County.
The I-70 split
Wyandotte County — along with Johnson County — is currently in Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, which is represented by Rep. Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation.
But the “ad astra” plan splinters Wyandotte County into two districts along an east-west line that roughly follows I-70.
The northern half would be in the 2nd District, represented by Republican Jake LaTurner. The southern half would remain in the 3rd District.
The map would split Wyandotte County for the first time since federal judges ordered it reunited in 1982.
Wyandotte County is the most diverse county in Kansas.
About 40% of its residents are white, 30% are Hispanic and 22% are Black, according to census data.
The county is a democratic stronghold in the state. But by dividing up the county, the 3rd District would likely become more competitive.
Republicans have generally cast the map as a good-faith effort to grapple with population growth and meet legal requirements for equal districts.
Local reaction
Unified Government Mayor Tyrone Garner has voiced opposition to the map’s plan.
The proposed map wouldn’t slice Wyandotte County in a clean line along I-70.
Instead it carves out the district with such surgical precision that in the Stony Point neighborhood of Wyandotte County, which is south of I-70, one side would be in the 2nd District and the other in the 3rd.
“It’s fixing something that ain’t broke,” resident James Powell told The Star recently. “There’s no good purpose for Wyandotte County to be broken up.”
The split would create problems for the county, said Andrew Davis, a District 8 commissioner for the Unified Government.
“Splitting that vote and saying that our ballots are going to be different means that we can’t consolidate our voting power, which means that we’re unable to advocate for our interests,” Davis previously told The Star.
A split of the county could also create problems for the Unified Government’s commissioners and elected officials. The reason local politicians have a good relationship with Davids, he said, is because Wyandotte is a consolidated community.
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 5:48 PM.
