State senators have released the first drafts of new district maps today.
In Delaware, state lawmakers are responsible for drawing the maps that split the state up for the next ten years.
And a ten percent increase in population from 2010 means the state senate districts have changed dramatically.
Districts around some of Delaware’s larger cities have shifted to be represented by just one state senator, Middletown being a prominent example alongside Smyrna.
Newark’s districts have also shifted, as was predicted by Senate President Pro Temp Dave Sokola. Sokola says Newark’s districts may look different because many students who are typically counted during the census were absent last year during the pandemic.
And according to senate staff, none of the current state senators have been pushed out of their own districts, although the districts they represent may encompass entirely new cities.
State Sen. Dave Lawson, for example, will now represent the city of Harrington, a town that used to be in Sen. David Wilson’s district.
Senators are looking for the public’s feedback on the draft maps, and will host a virtual hearing on October 19th and an in-person one at Leg Hall on the 21st.
The house hasn’t released their draft map yet, but lawmakers there need to draw twice as many districts.
Roman Battaglia is a corps member withReport for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
