Latest redistricting maps would split Floyd County among Iowa House and Senate districts

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Floyd County would become part of a northeastern Iowa congressional District, no longer part of the vast northwestern district, in the latest state redistricting proposal.

The county would also be split between two different Iowa House districts in the second round of Iowa redistricting maps that were released last week, and also would be split between two Iowa Senate districts.

The first redistricting maps created by the Legislative Services Agency — which were rejected by the Iowa Senate on a party-line vote — would have also split Floyd County among two House districts but would have kept the entire county within one Iowa Senate district.

The latest proposal by the Legislative Services Agency would put most of Floyd County into Iowa House District 58, along with all of Chickasaw County and most of Bremer County.

The northwest parts of Floyd County, consisting of Rock Grove and Rockford townships, would be part of House District 60, along with all of Mitchell and Worth counties and the northwestern part of Cerro Gordo county.

Most of Floyd County would be part of Iowa Senate District 29, but, again, the Rockford and Rock Grove townships in the northwestern corner of the county would be part of a different Iowa Senate district, this time District 30.

In addition to part of Floyd County, Iowa Senate District 29 includes all of Chickasaw, Butler and Bremer counties. Iowa Senate District 30 includes all of Cerro Gordo, Mitchell and Worth counties in addition to the small part of Floyd County.

In the current U.S. House congressional map, Floyd County is part of District 4, a huge 39-county chunk of the state that covers more than the the northwest corner of  Iowa, reaching as far south as Harrison, Shelby and Audobon counties. Floyd and Chickasaw counties are among those that define the farthest eastern reaches of District 4.

Under the latest proposal, Floyd and Chickasaw counties, along with Cerro Gordo, Butler, Hardin and Grundy counties that used to be in District 2, would now be part of U.S. House District 2, which would make up the northeast corner of the state.

As parts of the current U.S. House District 4, Floyd and Chickasaw counties have for the last 10 years been represented by Republican Steve King, then starting this year by Republican Randy Feenstra.

Under the current congressional map, the northeast corner of the state is U.S. House District 1. The latest proposed redistricting map would label that corner of the state District 2, although it would include much of what had been District 1.

The district is currently represented by Republican Ashley Hinson of Cedar Rapids, and she would be the only incumbent Iowa member of Congress in the new District 2 as well.

Democrat Cindy Axne and Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks would be pushed into the same congressional district under Iowa redistricting maps released last Thursday.

Under the new plan, each of Iowa’s four congressional districts would have favored Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 election over Democrat Joe Biden. That’s a switch from the first set of maps that created two districts with strong Republican majorities, one that favored Democrats and one that was nearly equal.

Trump won Iowa with 53.1% of the vote to 44.9% for Biden.

The latest map would include 20 counties in District 1, 22 in District 2, 21 in District 3 and 36 counties in the sprawling 4th Congressional District. Each would be close to the ideal population for congressional districts of 797,592.

Fewer incumbent state lawmakers are paired in this plan, with 20 senators paired in the same district, compared with 24 in the first plan. In the House, 38 incumbents were drawn into the same districts, the same as in the first plan.

The Iowa Legislature is scheduled to meet in special session Thursday to consider the maps.

The Iowa Senate on Oct. 5 rejected the first set of redistricting maps, with all 32 Republicans voting no and the 18 Democrats voting yes.

By state law, the Legislative Services Agency is responsible for following detailed guidelines to ensure population balance among Iowa’s congressional districts and to prevent political influence in the initial drafting of changes. The Legislature can only accept or reject the first and second set of maps without amendment.

The agency noted in its second drawing of maps that the Senate’s resolution rejecting the first plan and ordering LSA to submit a map that better balances compactness with population deviation would violate state law and the Iowa Constitution, which place a higher priority on population equality.

If the second set of maps is rejected, the LSA will have 35 days to draw a third set, which could be amended with majority Republicans leading that process. The Iowa Supreme Court has given lawmakers until Dec. 1 to approve the new maps.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.