By Beacon Staff
If Iowa’s current redistricting plan continues on the same trajectory it has now, Des Moines County will pick up another senate district.
“We would have two senate districts, for the first time that I know of,” Des Moines County auditor Terri Johnson said during the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday (Oct. 26).
According to the proposed redistricting plan, the southern tip of Des Moines County would be included in Lee County’s senate district, giving Des Moines County two senate districts. The majority of Des Moines County would continue to stay with Louisa County and a portion of Muscatine County (but not the city of Muscatine itself).
The plan still has to be approved by legislators. Once it is, it will set the state’s congressional and legislative boundaries for the next decade. Iowa’s second round of redistricting maps came out on Oct. 21, giving lawmakers one week to review the proposal before convening for a special session.
Precincts for Des Moines County will be determined via census information once a new plan is approved. During the last redistricting in 2010, Des Moines County went from 12 voting precincts to nine.
Sen. Tim Goodwin (R) is currently the only state senator for Des Moines County.