Gov. Pete Ricketts issued a proclamation Aug. 27 calling for a special session of the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature limited to enacting legislation related to redistricting several boundaries. The boundaries include those of Supreme Court judicial districts, Public Service Commission districts, Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska districts, State Board of Education districts, Legislative districts and Congressional districts.
A committee made up of nine senators — five republicans and four democrats — with Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn as chair of the committee, has been meeting to decide on their proposal of new district boundaries for congressional, legislative and elected state boards.
The redistricting session, which begins Sept. 13, follows the release of the 2020 U.S. Census.
District 16 Sen. Ben Hansen, who represents Burt, Washington and Cuming counties, is participating in a redistricting session for the first time. It is expected to be concluded by Sept. 30.
"I've been trying to talk to senators who have been through this before and what they've dealt with. The political climate is different now," he said. "If you shift a district one block, it could make a big difference."
Hansen said he thinks one of the rules is to try and keep districts within county borders which might supersede his not having as many people in his district.
"When the census comes out, we have an idea of what areas of rural and urban areas have increased or decreased and each senator typically has to represent an average number 39,000 to 40,000 per district," he said.
Hansen said it's hard to know right now the possible implications.
"We might end up losing a rural senator and gaining an urban senator or maybe two," he said. "It shifts the political sphere of the capital."
Hansen said he was not really surprised to see more people in the urban than rural areas.
"We could already see where it was going in the state, we just didn't know by how much," Hansen said. "That's kind of a common trend throughout the nation."
The impact on legislative and congressional areas is dependent on what senators are lost, Hansen said. "Losing two urban senators versus one can make a big difference," he said. "It could swing votes."
Hansen said a rigorous debate is needed to make sure everyone has a chance to speak and represent their districts.
"We will know a lot more after the hearings get going starting Sept. 13," he said.
