Polk County Commissioner Isaac Bramblett reviews current redistricting plans.
Photo by Paul LeachBENTON, Tenn. – The Polk County Redistricting Committee’s fifth plan, dubbed Plan 2B, promises minimal changes to Districts 1 and 2 and now awaits approval by the county commission.
Plan 2B’s advantages over previously considered plans include a reduced cost for voter notification and no need to add and pay for more commissioners, said Commissioner Isaac Bramblett.
“The new redistricting will only affect about 250 people,” said Redistricting Committee Chairman James Woody, adding that most of the changes are along the borders of Districts 1 and 3 in West Polk.
The plan reduces the overall population variation among the county’s three districts from 21 percent to 16 percent, according to Bramblett. That falls short of the state’s 10 percent standard.
However, state guidelines may offer some leeway in the effort to enforce “one man, one vote” initiatives meant to equalize representation between voting districts. Local officials should be prepared to justify any excess of the 10 percent standard with consistent and nondiscriminatory redistricting policies, according to a guide published by the state comptroller.